Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty to New Sex Crime Charge in New York Before Rape Retrial

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to a new sex crime charge in New York.

The new indictment comes in the runup to Weinstein’s retrial on rape and sexual assault charges after his 2020 conviction was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals. That court ruled in April 2024 that Weinstein had not received a fair trial. The retrial is currently scheduled to begin later this year.

The additional New York charge is the latest development in a story FRONTLINE began covering in the 2018 documentary Weinstein. The film drew on firsthand accounts from several women and those who knew Weinstein to track how he allegedly sexually harassed and abused dozens of women over four decades. The documentary also examined the elaborate ways Weinstein and those around him tried to silence his accusers. The allegations against Weinstein became a landmark moment of the #MeToo era.

In December 2022, Weinstein was found guilty of rape in Los Angeles in a separate case and was later sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is appealing that conviction, and has maintained that all his sexual encounters were consensual.

According to The Associated Press, Weinstein’s defense team in New York wants the new charge to be tried separately, while prosecutors want it to be part of his retrial. The judge said he’d rule on the matter early next month, the AP reported.

Watch the full Weinstein documentary: