A Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence against Harvey Weinstein may vote as soon as Friday on whether to indict the disgraced film producer on new sex crimes charges following the overturning of his 2020 conviction, the Daily News has learned.
At a Manhattan Supreme Court hearing Tuesday, prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office shed light on new allegations they have been exploring in a grand jury probe that’s been active since at least mid-August when they advised Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, about what he may be questioned about if he chooses to testify before the panel — which every defendant has a right to, according to a transcript of the proceedings obtained by The News.
Prosecutors revealed they are examining allegations by three potential new victims, who were not included at the first trial. One alleged incident concerned a sexual assault at the Tribeca Grand Hotel on an unspecified date. A second was specified as occurring within four months in an unspecified year in a residential building in lower Manhattan south of 14th St. in 2005 or 2006. A third alleged sexual assault mentioned was described as occurring in a hotel in Tribeca in May 2016.
At the hearing, where much of what was cited is contained in sealed court records, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber that the grand jury probe would end on Friday — suggesting the panel may vote then on whether to bring new charges against Weinstein. The indictment would likely be tried independently from the case the DA’s office is set to present at a retrial in November, it was said at Tuesday’s hearing.
A Manhattan jury found Weinstein, 72, guilty of criminal sexual act in the first-degree and third-degree rape in February 2020 for forcibly performing oral sex on a former production assistant, Miriam Haley, in 2006 and committing third-degree rape in an incident with aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.
The disgraced Miramax founder was sentenced to 23 years in prison and then extradited to California to face a second trial, which resulted in his December 2022 conviction on rape and sexual assault charges. He was sentenced to 16 years in that case.
In a stunning turn of events, the New York Court of Appeals on April 25 overturned the New York conviction after finding the trial court judge, James Burke, shouldn’t have permitted testimony by three women — Taralê Wulff, Dawn Dunning, and Lauren Young — about uncharged allegations of sexual violence.
The appeals court said Burke — who Mayor Adams’ office declined to reappoint in late 2022 — was also wrong to rule that prosecutors could cross-examine Weinstein about those allegations.
Tuesday’s hearing addressed a potential conflict between Aidala and the judge presiding over the grand jury proceedings, Judge Josh Hanshaft. Aidala said he was the best man at his wedding, and they were “brothers from another mother.”
“We will be prepared to defend Mr. Weinstein from any newly created allegations by the District Attorney’s office,” Aidala said of the possible new indictment when reached by The News Thursday.
The Manhattan DA’s office declined to comment.
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