Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years
in prison for rape and assault.
The disgraced Hollywood producer was found guilty in a trial in New York
last month.
Hervey Weinstein, 67, appeared in court on March 11 in a wheelchair.
The producer’s lawyers had appealed for leniency, saying even the minimum
sentence of five years could be a “life sentence”.
However, prosecutors argued Harvey Weinstein should be given the maximum
possible sentence given his “lifetime of abuse” towards women and
“lack of remorse” for his actions.
Harvey Weinstein addressed the court for the first time on March 11, saying
he had “deep remorse” but described him and other men as
“totally confused” by events in comments seen as critical to the
#MeToo movement.
Dozens of women have come forward
with allegations of misconduct, including rape, against Harvey Weinstein since
October 2017.
He has consistently denied
wrongdoing and these were the first charges to make it to trial.
Harvey Weinstein still faces further
criminal charges, for rape and assault, in Los Angeles.
His lawyers have vowed to appeal
against his conviction.
Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of
committing a first-degree criminal sexual act against production assistant
Miriam Haley in 2006 and of the third-degree rape of aspiring actress Jessica
Mann in 2013.
New York jurors acquitted Weinstein
of the most serious charges, of predatory sexual assault, which could have seen
him given an even longer jail term.
All six women who testified against
him during his trial sat together as he was sentenced and told to register as a
sex offender.
The two women he was convicted of assaulting both read out victim impact
statements in court.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. thanked the court for the tough
sentence, saying it put “predators and abusive partners” elsewhere in
society “on notice”.
Speaking outside court, Gloria Allred, who represents three of the accusers,
held up a sign with the words: “This
is what justice looks like.”
“For all those who are still
preying on women, who want to engage in the high risk-taking of harming women
and thinking you’ll get away with it, that gamble is likely not to pay off for
you anymore,” she added.
“And if you’re a high-profile
figure, don’t expect anything but equal justice.”
The US Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) praised the significant prison term Harvey Weinstein was given.
Jeffrey Epstein‘s alleged victims
have urged Prince Andrew to co-operate with an inquiry into the financier.
Attorney Lisa Bloom, representing
five women who say they were abused by the financier, said Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers were “outraged”
by the Duke of York not assisting the US authorities.
It comes after the prosecutor in charge
of the US investigation said Prince Andrew had provided “zero
co-operation”.
The prince has said he did not
witness or suspect any suspicious behavior during visits to Jeffrey Epstein’s
homes.
Prince Andrew has come under fire for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein – a convicted sex offender who took his own life in a jail cell in August at the age of 66, while awaiting trial on trafficking and conspiracy charges.
Last November, the prince said that
he was willing to help the authorities into the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
However, attorney Geoffrey Berman
said prosecutors and the FBI have received no reply after contacting Prince
Andrew’s lawyers.
Linda Bloom said the duke should “do the right thing”.
Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew’s legal team was dealing with the issue
and it would not be commenting further.
Another lawyer representing some of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers, Gloria Allred, said she had sent a letter to Prince Andrew’s home urging him to co-operate but hadn’t received a response.
A new woman has come forward to accuse Jeffrey
Epstein of abusing her as a 15-year-old, and called for Prince Andrew to share
information on his former friend.
The woman, identified as “Jane Doe 15”, told reporters she suffered
a “vicious, prolonged… assault”.
Jane Doe 15, now 31, is the latest of more than a dozen women to sue
Epstein’s estate for alleged abuses.
It comes amid controversy over Prince Andrew’s ties to the disgraced
finacier.
In a recent interview, Prince Andrew was pressed on his friendship with Jeffrey
Epstein, and an accusation made by Virginia Giuffre that he had intercourse
with her at Epstein’s house when she was 17.
Prince Andrew denied having any relation with Ms Giuffre, but the interview
created a wave of criticism directed at the royal.
Jane Doe 15 gave a press conference in Los Angeles on November 18 with her
lawyer, Gloria Allred. She accused Jeffrey Epstein of abusing her at his New
Mexico ranch when she was 15, after she had met his secretary during a 2004
school trip to New York.
According to Jane Doe 15’s lawsuit, the secretary told her Jeffrey Epstein
was interested in helping girls from poorer backgrounds. She was flown on his
private jet to his ranch in New Mexico with several other young girls, she
said. Jane Doe 15 alleges he told her to give him a massage, then assaulted
her.
Jeffrey Epstein, 66, hanged himself in jail in August while awaiting trial.
He was accused of abusing dozens of young girls, some as young as 14. He
pleaded not guilty.
Jane Doe 15 did not accuse Prince Andrew of any wrongdoing but called on him
to come forward with more information.
She said: “Prince Andrew, and any
others who were close to Epstein, should come forward and give a statement
under oath on what information they have.”
Attorney Gloria Allred said she had called on Prince Andrew to “voluntarily meet with the FBI and prosecutors who are investigating this criminal case in New York, and also to provide his deposition under oath”.
Bill Cosby has been found guilty of three counts of assault, each of which carries a potential 10 years in prison.
The 80-year-old actor has been on trial for drugging and assaulting ex-basketball player Andrea Constand 14 years ago.
Bill Cosby, the first major black actor on primetime TV, will remain out of jail until he is sentenced, the judge ruled.
Prosecutors argued he should be denied bail, arguing that he should be held because he is “somebody who has unlimited wealth” and could flee on a private plane.
Bill Cosby accuser Lili Bernard said outside the courthouse: “I feel like my faith in humanity is restored.”
“We are so happy that finally we can say, women are believed, and not only on #MeToo, but in a court of law,” lawyer Gloria Allred added.
It was the second time Bill Cosby had stood trial for the allegations, after an earlier jury failed to reach a verdict in June 2017.
At the start of the retrial in Pennsylvania it was revealed that Bill Cosby had paid Andrea Constand almost $3.4 million in a civil settlement in 2006.
Bill Cosby is best known for starring in the 1980s TV series The Cosby Show.
Around 60 women over five decades have publicly accused Bill Cosby of being a predator. But statute of limitation laws mean that only one charge has been brought to trial.
Some of his accusers were present in court, and cried as the guilty verdict was returned.
Bill Cosby’s lawyer Tom Mesereau insisted “the fight is not over”, adding that he believes the actor is innocent and that he plans to file an appeal.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, who brought the charges against Bill Cosby, held a press conference after the verdict.
Kevin Steele said, as Andrea Constand stood beside him: “Money and power or who you are will not stop us from a criminal investigation and prosecuting a case.”
When the attack took place, Andrea Constand was working as director of operations for the women’s basketball team at Temple University, Philadelphia.
She told the court she had gone to the home of her then friend Bill Cosby, to discuss her resignation.
Andrea Constand said he had given her three blue pills to “help take the edge off,” which she believed to be a natural remedy.
Minutes later, she was suffering double vision and quickly lost consciousness.
She awoke to find Bill Cosby assaulting her, she said, adding that the drugs made her physically unable to fight back.
Andrea Constand reported the attack, but the district attorney refused to press charges. The case was reopened in 2015.
Judge Steven O’Neill allowed five of Bill Cosby’s other accusers to serve as “prior bad acts” witnesses during the trial, as the prosecution sought to establish a pattern of misconduct.
Heidi Thomas told the court that Bill Cosby served her spiked wine that made her drowsy for four days in 1984.
Former model Janice Dickinson was among those who testified, alleging that Bill Cosby drugged and raped her at a hotel in 1982, when she was 27 years old.
The case against Bill Cosby was one of the first celebrity assault trials conducted in the light of the #MeToo movement, which has raised awareness of alleged misconduct by a number of powerful media figures.
Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore has been accused of assault by a fifth woman as GOP leaders increase calls for him to “step aside”.
Beverly Young Nelson, 56, has revealed she was 16 years old when Roy Moore allegedly tried to force himself on her after offering a ride home from her job as a waitress.
The woman said: “I tried fight him off while yelling at him to stop.”
She also said that he locked his car to prevent her escape.
Roy Moore, now 70, denies the allegations, describing them as a “witch hunt”.
However, Senator Cory Gardner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, said on November 13 he believes Roy Moore’s accusers “spoke with courage and truth” and the former Alabama Supreme Court judge should be expelled if he is elected.
“If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him, because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements of the United States Senate,” Cory Gardner said.
Beverly Young Nelson’s accusation comes after four other women detailed allegations of assault by the conservative firebrand while they were teenagers in Alabama.
The woman said she met Roy Moore during the late 1970s at the Olde Hickory House restaurant in Gadsen, Alabama, where she worked as a waitress while she was a teenager.
Beverly Young Nelson claimed Roy Moore, a 30-year-old deputy district attorney at the time, offered to sign her high school yearbook and wrote: “To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas.”
He signed it “Love, Roy Moore, DA”, according to a copy of the yearbook page provided to reporters by her attorney, Gloria Allred.
About a week or two later, Roy Moore allegedly offered to drive her home and instead drove to the back of the restaurant car park.
At a news conference on November 13, Beverly Young Nelson told reporters: “I was terrified. He was also trying to pull my shirt off. I thought he was going to rape me.”
“At some point he gave up and he then looked at me and he told me, <<You’re just a child>>, and he said, <<I am the district attorney of Etowah County. If you tell anyone about this, no one will believe you>>,” she said, adding that her neck was bruised in the struggle.
“He finally allowed me to open the door and I either fell out or he pushed me out.”
Image source Wikimedia
Roy Moore Campaign Chairman Bill Armistead denied the charges, calling the candidate “an innocent man”.
“This is a witch hunt against a man who has had an impeccable career for over 30 years and has always been known as a man of high character,” he said.
Roy Moore’s wife also vehemently denies the allegations, contending that her husband’s accusers are being paid.
Also on November 13, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said that he believed the women accusing Roy Moore of inappropriate behavior.
Mitch McConnell told reporters in his home state of Kentucky that party officials have considered whether another Republican could challenge Roy Moore in next month’s election, through a so-called write-in challenge.
He said Luther Strange, whom Roy Moore beat in the Republican primary earlier this year, was a possible option.
Last week’s Washington Post story quoted four women by name, including one who alleged Roy Moore initiated contact with her when she was 14 – beneath the legal age of consent in Alabama – while he was a prosecutor in his 30s.
Roy Moore has said the Washington Post story is a fabricated smear by his political opponents, calling it “a prime example of fake news”.
Mitch McConnell previously said Roy Moore should step aside only if the allegations were proven true.
On November 13, he said flatly: “I believe the women. Yes.”
Roy Moore replied in a tweet: “The person who should step aside is @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell. He has failed conservatives and must be replaced. #DrainTheSwamp.”
Roy Moore, an outspoken Christian conservative, had been a heavy favorite to win the December 12 election against Democrat Doug Jones.
However, an opinion poll after the allegations surfaced suggested the race was tightening. Alabama has not elected a Democratic senator in a quarter of a century.
Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant who accuses Donald Trump of assault, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the president-elect.
She alleges Donald Trump forced himself on her in 2007.
The lawsuit, which Summer Zervos announced at a news conference, alleges Donald Trump is a “liar and misogynist” who “debased and denigrated” her.
The news came just three days before Donald Trump is sworn in as president.
Donald Trump faced a spate of misconduct allegations in the run up to the election, all of which he has denied.
At the time, he dismissed them as “false and ridiculous” and said they were “sick” and driven by fame, money or politics.
Photo Getty Images
“Since Mr. Trump has not issued a retraction, as I requested, he has therefore left me with no alternative but to sue him in order to vindicate my reputation,” Summer Zervos told journalists in LA on January 17.
The former Apprentice contestant was joined by her lawyer, Gloria Allred, a Democratic Party activist, who said the plaintiff’s allegations had passed a lie detector test.
Summer Zervos, 41, is one of several women who came forward to accuse the incoming 45th president of assault after the October release of a 2005 videotape in which he is heard making lewd comments about groping women.
The former reality show contestant said Donald Trump had assaulted her during a meeting to discuss job opportunities at a Beverly Hills hotel.
Donald Trump has not filed a lawsuit against any of the women, despite an earlier threat to sue the accusers.
Summer Zervos’ lawsuit alleges that Donald Trump defamed her by denying her account and accusing her and other women of fabricating assault claims.
She asked the president-elect to retract his words late last year, but he declined to do so.
Gloria Allred said Donald Trump “knowingly, intentionally and maliciously threw each of these women under the bus” and that repeatedly calling them “liars” in public caused distress.
Summer Zervos added that she would be willing to rescind the lawsuit if Donald Trump retracts the statements he made and acknowledges his behavior towards her.
Following her allegations, the Trump campaign released a statement from someone it identified as Summer Zervos’ first cousin.
John Barry wrote that he was “shocked and bewildered” by her allegations, insisting Summer Zervos had only previously said “glowing” things about Donald Trump.
Celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred says she has been contacted by Charlie Sheen’s exes after the actor revealed he had HIV.
Charlie Sheen revealed on November 17 he was diagnosed four years ago.
Gloria Allred confirmed she had been “contacted by women with reference to Charlie Sheen and their rights. I have no comment on what will happen next”.
In the Today show interview, Charlie Sheen said it was “impossible” that he would have passed HIV on to anyone else.
Charlie Sheen, 50, said he hoped the interview would put a stop to an “onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths of very harmful and mercurial stories about threatening the health of so many others, which couldn’t be further from the truth”.
Photo Twitter
The actor said when he revealed his HIV status to friends “the truth became treason”, leading to “blackmail and extortion and a circle of deceit”.
Charlie Sheen said he had paid “enough to take it into the millions” to keep people from going public about his illness.
Since the interview a number of his exes have given TV interviews.
Gloria Allred is known for taking on high-profile cases connected to celebrities.
She is currently representing several women who claim they were either drugged or assaulted by the comedian Bill Cosby.
Gloria Allred was involved in cases against OJ Simpson and Michael Jackson.
People with HIV may be prosecuted for intentionally or recklessly infecting another person.
In the US, 67 laws explicitly focused on people living with HIV had been enacted in 33 states by 2011. They cover not disclosing the virus to partners – even if the transmission risk is minimal or nonexistent – donating HIV-infected organs and spitting HIV-infected bodily fluids.
Natalie Khawam, Lebanese-born twin sister of Jill Kelley, the Tampa socialite at the centre of David Petraeus scandal, appeared at a press conference alongside celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred.
In an apparent bid to gain leverage for her client in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband Grayson Wolfe over their 4-year-old son, Gloria Allred portrayed Natalie Khawam’s case as “extremely important to single moms across the nation”.
David Petraeus, who resigned as CIA director after his affair with biographer Paula Broadwell was revealed when Jill Kelley complained to the FBI about harassing emails from her, wrote a letter in support of Khawam’s case.
General John Allen, NATO commander in Afghanistan and under investigation for potentially ‘inappropriate’ emails in a correspondence of up to 30,000 pages, also wrote a letter backing her.
Gloria Allred paid tribute to David Petraues and his wife Holly at a press conference in the Ritz Carlton in Washington.
“Both have known Natalie and her son personally for many years, and have had numerous opportunities to observe them together,” she said.
“They have loved Natalie’s child and emotionally supported her and her son through the toughest time in Natalie and her son’s life. They both spoke up through their court declarations in support of Natalie about what a loving, protective mom she was.”
Natalie Khawam, Lebanese-born twin sister of Jill Kelley, appeared at a press conference alongside celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred
A tearful Natalie Khawam, 37, declined to answer any questions but spoke of her relationship with her sister.
“My sister Jill and I aren’t just twins, we’re best friends. Literally inseparable,” she said.
“During my darkest time…she and my brother-in-law Dr. Kelley took me in with my son when we needed refuge and protection. Jill is the kindest, most generous person I know.
“We played tennis together. She played net and I served. We also played softball together. She was the catcher and I pitched. We love to cook. I usually bake and she sautés.
“We used to study together. I love math, she loves science and she excels in chemistry. We love to play piano and play chess.
“Jill has lovingly supported me through the years and I plan to love and support her unconditionally.”
Natalie Khawam lost an ugly child custody dispute with ex-husband Grayson Wolfe despite the letters written on her behalf by David Petraeus and General John Allen.
The judge said he had serious concerns and reservations over her mental stability and her grasp on reality and accused her of “outrageous conduct”, “bad faith litigation tactics”, and “illogical thinking” before awarding full custody to the father, who had been unable to see his child for more than a year.
According to the New York Post, Grayson Wolfe, won sole custody of the boy after the judge found out Natalie Khawam, a lawyer, repeatedly lied under oath and filed false domestic-violence and child-abuse claims against her husband.
Natalie Khawam was also accused of defying court orders to allow her estranged husband access to their son and sent emails to his friends and colleagues telling them he was a “horrible father and husband”.
Gloria Allred described her client as “a loving, caring mother” as well as a “highly educated academic scholar and a successful attorney”.
She described Jill Kelley’s relationship with David Petraeus as “social”.
Asked whether Natalie Khawam had visited the White House, Gloria Allred said she had been there “essentially for a tour” but declined to say who had been the host.
Neither Gloria Allred nor Natalie Khawam would speak about John Allen or go into any detail about David Petraues.
Gloria Allred’s clients include former porn star Joslyn James and nightclub promoter Rachel Uchitel, for whom Allred reportedly helped win $10 million from Tiger Woods.
She is renowned as the go-to lawyer for women who find themselves caught up in celebrity scandals and has defended women against stars such as Charlie Sheen, Eddie Murphy, and Rob Lowe.
Natalie Khawam, Jill Kelley’s twin sister, has reportedly enlisted Gloria Allred’s help, more than a week after her involvement in the cheating scandal that has led to his downfall of CIA Director David Petraeus.
Gloria Allred and Natalie Khawam are holding a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Natalie Khawam is the twin sister of Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite who blew the lid off the secret relationship between David Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell, after Broadwell sent Kelley threatening emails.
The twins’ brother, David Khawam, confirmed to ABC News that Natalie Khawam had hired Gloria Allred.
On Friday, Gloria Allred blasted the media coverage surrounding the women involved in the David Petraeus scandal.
Gloria Allred told the Daily Caller: “[M]y personal feeling on this matter is that women are being depicted in a negative and stereotypical manner which appears to be very unfair to all of them.”
But it’s unclear exactly what Gloria Allred would be representing Natalie Khawam for, but she has had legal issues in the past.
One was a brutal child custody dispute with ex-husband Grayson Wolfe.
Natalie Khawam has enlisted Gloria Allred’s help, more than a week after her involvement in the David Petraeus cheating scandal
Natalie Khawam suffered defeat in that case despite letters written on her behalf by David Petraeus and General John Allen, who was later revealed to be exchanging thousands of “flirtatious” emails with Jill Kelley.
The judge had resoundingly denied custody to Natalie Khawam, saying he had serious concerns and reservations over her mental stability and her grasp on reality.
He also cited her with “outrageous conduct”, “bad faith litigation tactics”, and “illogical thinking” before awarding full custody to the father – who had been unable to see his child for more than a year.
The New York Post claimed her estranged husband, Grayson Wolfe, won sole custody of the boy after the judge found out Natalie Khawam, a lawyer, repeatedly lied under oath and filed false domestic-violence and child-abuse claims against her husband.
Natalie Khawam was also accused of defying court orders to allow her estranged husband access to their son and sent emails to his friends and colleagues telling them he was a “horrible father and husband”.
But her troubles don’t just end there. Natalie Khawam is also currently being sued in Montgomery County for failing to pay the lawyer’s fees in her divorce – believed to be in the region of $100,000.
The case has been on the court docket for nearly a-year-and-a-half but took a backward step in April when she filed for bankruptcy.
On the bankruptcy filing, Natalie Khawam lists $3.2 million in unpaid debt, plus $53,000 she owes the Internal Revenue Service.
Amid of Gloria Allred’s claim that she will deliver an “October surprise” that will secure Barack Obama’s re-election, it has been revealed that the celebrity attorney spoke with the president one-on-one at a star-studded fundraiser two weeks before.
Gloria Allred caught up with Barack Obama at one point during the “30 Days to Victory” fundraiser at LA’s Nokia Theatre – an event headlined by Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, Jennifer Hudson and George Clooney.
The celebrity attorney was interviewed outside the venue by O’Reilly Factor correspondent Jesse Watters, who asked her whether she was more into the music or seeing the president.
Gloria Allred replied: “I’m a very proud supporter of President Obama. I was an elected Obama delegate to the democratic National Convention, I just had a few words with the President.”
She added: “He was very kind to me. He had some very kind words to me. And he knows of my work for women’s rights. And I of course am very appreciative of everything he has done and everything I know he will do in four years for women’s rights.”
In a jab at Barack Obama’s Republican opponent Mitt Romney, Gloria Allred said: “And it’s so essential that we re-elect President Obama because the alternative is just unthinkable.”
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Mitt Romney allegedly provided testimony in the bitter divorce of his friend and staunch advocate, ex-Staples CEO Tom Stemberg, that meant his ex-wife received a poor divorce settlement.
Gloria Allred was interviewed outside the Nokia Theatre two weeks before making her October surprise claims
Sources told TMZ that Mitt Romney, whose hedge fund, Bain Capital, was an investor in Staples before it became a household name, testified in the case that the company was worth virtually nothing and that his friend was a “dreamer”.
Mitt Romney testified during the hearings in 1988 that the company’s stock was “overvalued” and that the future did not look good. Later Mitt Romney and Tom Stemberg allegedly went to Goldman Sachs to cash in their stock for a massive payout, according to TMZ.
His bitter ex-wife Maureen Stemberg claims this testimony effected how much she got from the settlement.
It is unclear what if any lump sum she got out of the divorce, but it is known she was awarded 500,000 shares in the company. Maureen Stemberg later went on to cash in half of these before the company went public – missing out on a huge windfall as stocks soared from $2 to $19.
There is no proof so far that Mitt Romney or Tom Stemberg tried to mislead Maureen Stemberg or the court.
Mitt Romney’s lawyer Robert Jones simply said that his client had no issues with the testimony being made public.
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