Month: September 2024

Prosecutors said in a New York courtroom on Thursday that disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been indicted by a new grand jury on additional charges.

Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said that the new indictment is under seal. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said: “We informed the defense just prior to being present in court this morning … the grand jury has indicted Mr. Weinstein.” Weinstein, 72, was not in court as he is recuperating after emergency heart surgery days ago, and did not receive medical clearance to attend.   Weinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala told Deadline there may be three new criminal complaints against his client from 2005, 2006 and 2016 based on what prosecutors have told him, but he did not have details.

Judge Curtis Farber has set a trial date for Nov. 12; and ordered the city corrections department to house Weinstein in the Bellevue Hospital prison ward, if medically necessary, stating: “Inattention at Rikers carries very real risks. He could find himself again in crisis.” Weinstein had been in custody at the Rikers Island prison complex while awaiting retrial.

NBC News reported earlier this month that a grand jury had been convened to hear from women who had come forward with new accusations against Weinstein.  More than 80 women have accused the former producer of sexual assault or harassment; Weinstein has repeatedly and vehemently denied those claims, insisting the encounters in question were consensual.

Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of third-degree rape of one woman and first-degree criminal sex act against another woman after a trial in New York and sentenced to 23 years in prison. However, that conviction was overturned in April after a state appellate court determined the judge had erred by allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.

Weinstein was also found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault in a 2022 trial in Los Angeles, where he was sentenced to 16 years. Weinstein’s legal team is in the process of appealing that conviction.

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Officials said that The Bridge Fire is now the largest active wildfire in California, burning about 50,000 acres across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and forcing residents to flee as it destroyed dozens of homes.  As of Thursday morning, the fire was still listed at 0% containment; the fire began on Sunday afternoon with the cause still unknown. About 40 homes have been destroyed near the San Gabriel Mountains as authorities battled several large blazes aided by federal assistance and the state National Guard.

The Bridge Fire threatened 1,068 structures as Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire. Numerous buildings and structures were already impacted, and damage to power infrastructure was reported.  The fire could continue to grow as it moves to areas with “receptive fuels with little to no fire history,” according to Cal Fire, who warned that the expanding inferno may cause “spot fires” as it reaches areas of “receptive fuels with little to no fire history.”

The rapid growth of The Bridge Fire has surpassed the Line Fire, which is also burning in San Bernardino and has scorched another 37,000 acres with 18% containment. Another large wildfire active in southern California, the Airport Fire, is affecting Orange and Riverside counties and continued to burn with 5% containment. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency related to the Line Fire last weekend, which was 18% contained as of Wednesday night at 36,481 acres in size.

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