Former Movie Producer Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty of Sex Crimes
2020-02-25
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1A jury in New York City has found former movie producer Harvey Weinstein guilty of sexual assault and rape.
2The jury cleared Weinstein on the most serious charges he faced - which carried a possible life sentence.
3He now faces up to 25 years in prison.
4Weinstein once was a powerful producer in Hollywood's film industry.
5The 67-year-old Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.
6He also was found guilty of raping actress Jessica Mann in 2013.
7The guilty finding represents an important moment in the #MeToo movement.
8The movement gained attention in October 2017.
9That month, stories published in The New Yorker and The New York Times described Weinstein's mistreatment of women.
10The #MeToo movement spread from Hollywood to other industries.
11Women, and some men, publicly reported stories of sexual abuse by powerful people.
12More than 80 women, including famous actresses, had accused Weinstein of sexual wrongdoing.
13He denied the accusations and said any sexual experiences described were consensual - or agreed to by everyone involved.
14During the trial, government lawyers described Weinstein as a repeat attacker who manipulated women by offering promises to help their acting careers.
15Prosecutors said he would ask women to meet him in hotel rooms or private homes, where he would then violently attack them.
16Prosecutors added to their case by calling several other accusers as witnesses.
17One of those women, "Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra, told jurors that Weinstein came into her apartment one winter night in 1993 or 1994 and raped her.
18The reported incident took place too long ago to be charged as a crime.
19But prosecutors offered it to show Weinstein's past behavior.
20Testimony of "prior bad acts" is generally not permitted in criminal trials.
21But an exception to the law let prosecutors call additional women as witnesses to show Weinstein had a long history of abusive behavior.
22Throughout the case, the defense argued that regret led the accusers to take consensual incidents and redefine them as crimes.
23Weinstein's lawyers centered their arguments on evidence of friendly messages and continued contact between the women and Weinstein.
24His lawyer, Donna Rotunno, told jurors during closing arguments that they were "the last line of defense" against an "overzealous" prosecution and that women were "responsible" for the "choices they make to further their own careers."
25Prosecutors opposed claims that Weinstein's accusers were not to be trusted, or that the women were responsible for the reported attacks.
26Weinstein still faces sexual assault charges in California.
27Those charges were announced just hours after his trial on charges of rape began in New York City.
28He also faces charges in civil court brought by many women.
29I'm Jonathan Evans.
1A jury in New York City has found former movie producer Harvey Weinstein guilty of sexual assault and rape. 2The jury cleared Weinstein on the most serious charges he faced - which carried a possible life sentence. He now faces up to 25 years in prison. 3Weinstein once was a powerful producer in Hollywood's film industry. The 67-year-old Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006. He also was found guilty of raping actress Jessica Mann in 2013. 4The guilty finding represents an important moment in the #MeToo movement. 5The movement gained attention in October 2017. That month, stories published in The New Yorker and The New York Times described Weinstein's mistreatment of women. The #MeToo movement spread from Hollywood to other industries. Women, and some men, publicly reported stories of sexual abuse by powerful people. 6More than 80 women, including famous actresses, had accused Weinstein of sexual wrongdoing. He denied the accusations and said any sexual experiences described were consensual - or agreed to by everyone involved. 7During the trial, government lawyers described Weinstein as a repeat attacker who manipulated women by offering promises to help their acting careers. Prosecutors said he would ask women to meet him in hotel rooms or private homes, where he would then violently attack them. 8Prosecutors added to their case by calling several other accusers as witnesses. One of those women, "Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra, told jurors that Weinstein came into her apartment one winter night in 1993 or 1994 and raped her. 9The reported incident took place too long ago to be charged as a crime. But prosecutors offered it to show Weinstein's past behavior. 10Testimony of "prior bad acts" is generally not permitted in criminal trials. But an exception to the law let prosecutors call additional women as witnesses to show Weinstein had a long history of abusive behavior. 11Throughout the case, the defense argued that regret led the accusers to take consensual incidents and redefine them as crimes. 12Weinstein's lawyers centered their arguments on evidence of friendly messages and continued contact between the women and Weinstein. His lawyer, Donna Rotunno, told jurors during closing arguments that they were "the last line of defense" against an "overzealous" prosecution and that women were "responsible" for the "choices they make to further their own careers." 13Prosecutors opposed claims that Weinstein's accusers were not to be trusted, or that the women were responsible for the reported attacks. 14Weinstein still faces sexual assault charges in California. Those charges were announced just hours after his trial on charges of rape began in New York City. He also faces charges in civil court brought by many women. 15I'm Jonathan Evans. 16The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. 17_____________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19assault - n. a violent attack 20convict - v. to prove that someone is guilty of a crime in a court of law 21manipulate - v. to deal with or control (someone or something) in a clever and usually unfair or selfish way 22prosecutor - n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty 23testimony - n. something that someone says especially in a court of law while formally promising to tell the truth 24prior -adj. existing earlier in time 25overzealous -adj. too eager or enthusiastic