Harvey Weinstein is considering pleading guilty to a third-degree rape charge to avoid facing trial for a third time, the former Hollywood mogul’s lawyer told a judge in a downtown Manhattan courtroom Thursday.
The charge is related to an allegation made by Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, that Weinstein raped her at a New York hotel in March 2013. Weinstein has vehemently denied that claim and all allegations of nonconsensual sex.
But amid defense lawyer Arthur Aidala’s talk of a possible plea deal, Weinstein continued to insist he was not a criminal. “I know I was unfaithful and acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone,” Weinstein told Judge Curtis Farber.
Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape of Mann in early 2020, but that conviction was overturned in 2024 by a New York state appeals court. He was tried again last year, but the jury failed to reach a verdict on the charge related to Mann.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act based on an allegation made by Miriam Haley, a former “Project Runway” production assistant who claims he forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006.
The jury acquitted Weinstein on a second count of first-degree criminal sexual act stemming from a similar allegation brought by Kaja Sokola, a Polish former runway model.
Weinstein appeared somber in court Thursday as Farber rejected his motion to dismiss his conviction related to Haley’s allegation. The former film titan’s attorneys had argued that the jury at his retrial was beset by infighting, bullying and other improper behavior.
The former producer told the court he was disappointed in Farber’s decision to hold off on an open hearing to look into his team’s allegations of juror misconduct.
“The weight of justice grows heavier after 19 months at Rikers,” Weinstein told the judge, referring to the New York prison island where he is incarcerated. “It is soul-crushing. It is a death sentence. My mental state is collapsing and the isolation is unbearable.”
In response, Farber told Weinstein he believed the second trial was fair — and whatever happened in the jury room was part of the normal course of deliberations.
Nicole Blumberg, one of the prosecutors, asked Farber to sentence Weinstein on the Haley conviction, saying in part: “Mimi Haley deserves closure and not have to keep her life on hold while a retrial occurs.”
Farber essentially rebuffed that request, saying he planned to wait until after the Mann charges are adjudicated. He tentatively scheduled a third trial to begin March 3.
