Weinstein sexual assault trial begins in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — Jury selection began on Monday at the Los Angeles trial of infamous Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, with five victims expected to stand during the two-month trial.

The 70-year-old Pulp Fiction producer has already served 23 years in prison in New York after being convicted of a series of sex crimes.

He now faces 11 more charges. Between 2004 and 2013, women were subjected to captive sexual assault, forced rape, and forced oral copulation at hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.

If convicted, Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty to all counts, could face an additional 100 years or more in prison.

A crowd of journalists gathered Monday outside a courthouse in downtown Los Angeles where the former Hollywood mogul was summoned.

The explosion of sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Weinstein in October 2017 and his conviction in New York in 2020 was a milestone for the #MeToo movement.

In June he lost a bid to overturn a sex crimes conviction.

In total, about 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, have accused Weinstein of harassing and assaulting them.

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The Los Angeles Times on Monday quoted Weinstein’s attorney, Mark Werksman, as saying there would be high-profile testimony.

“Some of these victims, people will recognize them. has had some success as an actress and model,” Worksman told the paper.

According to The Times, one of the five accusers, officially known as “Jane Doe,” would be Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a business meeting, which turned out to be a trap.

“She intends to testify at his trial to seek some justice for survivors and as part of her lifelong work to improve the lives of women.” He wrote about Weinstein’s actions in an essay published in 2017, but did not provide details about the alleged assault.