LOS ANGELES – Prosecutors in Los Angeles say they will not retry Harvey Weinstein on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson announced the decision to Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles. The judge dismissed the charges on which a jury failed to reach a verdict in December and said Weinstein will be sent back to New York, where he was convicted in a similar case.
The Lo Angeles jury convicted Weinstein, 70, of the rape and sexual assault of an Italian model and actress.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Those are in addition to the 23 years in prison he is serving for a similar sentence in New York.
The jury was unable to reach unanimous verdicts on charges involving two accusers, one count of rape and one count of sexual assault involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and one count of sexual assault against model Lauren Young.
Young said at Tuesday’s hearing that she was disappointed that prosecutors did not seek a new trial. Thompson said Weinstein would likely only face an additional year in prison if retried, and while she wanted all victims to receive justice, that additional time was not worth another trial.
Weinstein was acquitted of one count of sexual assault against a masseuse.
The Associated Press does not usually name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they publicly identify themselves, such as some of the accusers named in this story.
Weinstein’s New York sentence has been appealed and his lawyers also plan to appeal the Los Angeles sentence.
Lench denied a defense motion for a new trial before Weinstein’s sentencing. His lawyers argue that the jury was not allowed access to crucial evidence.