Convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, who was in prison in New York, was turned over to California authorities Tuesday to face additional charges for similar crimes.
The 69-year-old former film producer, who was considered one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood for decades,
had tried to avoid his extradition for months
, claiming that he had health problems that could not be treated if he was imprisoned in Los Angeles, California. .
However, a New York judge rejected this argument and approved Weinstein's extradition to California in June, denying his attorneys' request to keep him in a state prison near - where he is serving a 23-year sentence for rape from last year. - until the start of the jury selection in Los Angeles.
In this Feb. 24, 2020 photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives in court in Manhattan for jury deliberations in his rape case in New York.
"We will fight so that Harvey can receive the medical care he needs and, of course, so that he can receive fair treatment," said his spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer.
"Due process, the presumption of innocence and a fair trial remain his right," he added.
Weinstein was indicted in January 2020 on
11 counts in California involving five women
in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013. The crimes include rape, forced oral intercourse, sexual assault by restraint and sexual penetration by force.
Weinstein left Wende's New York prison in a wheelchair, dressed in a white shirt and light pants, according to several local media reports.
[Harvey Weinstein isolated in prison for COVID-19 symptoms]
If found guilty,
he faces a possible life sentence
.
Weinstein's attorney, Norman Effman, argued that he should remain in the maximum security environment of the Wende Correctional Center, similar to a hospital, while receiving treatment for illnesses including a loss of vision.
Weinstein has maintained that he is innocent and that any sexual activity was consensual
.
Harvey Weinstein will pay nearly $ 19 million to a compensation fund for his victims
July 1, 202000: 30
The California charges were announced shortly before Weinstein's conviction in New York City for raping an aspiring actress in 2013 in a Manhattan hotel room and forcibly performing oral sex on a film production assistant and television in 2006 at his apartment in Manhattan.
The lawyer for one of the women who has accused Weinstein celebrated her extradition to California
, after it had been postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and due to legal arguments about the paperwork and medical needs of the former Hollywood producer.
"The opportunity to hold Weinstein accountable for his actions in California gives survivors a voice, including my client," attorney Elizabeth Fegan said in a statement.
“They deserve to be heard and to hold Weinstein accountable for their actions.
Our hope is that a guilty verdict in California will ensure that Harvey Weinstein spends the rest of his life behind bars, ensuring justice for women everywhere. "
With information from The Associated Press and EFE.