Harvey Weinstein used clout to prey on women, prosecutor tells jury
Harvey Weinstein used clout to prey on women, prosecutor tells jury
Jack Queen, ReutersWed, April 22, 2026 at 2:38 AM UTC
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NEW YORK - Harvey Weinstein used his Hollywood influence to prey upon and sexually abuse women, a prosecutor told a Manhattan jury on Tuesday, April 21, as a defense lawyer said the ex-movie mogul's third New York rape trial stemmed from consensual sex.
Weinstein, 74, was a top Hollywood film producer until sexual misconduct allegations against him led to his downfall and fueled a wider social movement that encouraged women to come forward with accounts of sexual abuse by powerful men.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of third-degree rape and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex.
Prosecutor Candace White told jurors that Weinstein raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 while Mann resisted and repeatedly said "No."
"This case will come down to power, to control and to manipulation," White said, accusing Weinstein of preying upon "fragile and sheltered" young women with dreams of Hollywood stardom.
Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Supreme Court during his retrial in New York City on April 21, 2026.Harvey Weinstein's lawyer says Jessica Mann was 'strong and capable'
Defense lawyer Jacob Kaplan accused Mann of fabricating the rape allegation after regretting that her romance with Weinstein failed to advance her film career. He told jurors that emails will show Mann was a "strong and capable" woman whose relationship with Weinstein was consensual.
"In the end, this case will be her word against her word," Kaplan said during his opening statement.
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Weinstein's prior trial conviction for raping Mann was overturned on appeal, and a jury in a second trial was unable to reach a verdict on that charge.
The latest trial before Justice Curtis Farber began with jury selection last week in Manhattan state court and is expected to last about a month.
1 / 0Celebrity scandals that rocked Hollywood: Weinstein, Cosby and moreEllen DeGeneres found herself in hot water earlier this year, after BuzzFeed reported that a group of employees said that they faced racism, fear and intimidation while working on her popular daytime talk show. Three of the show's producers were also accused of sexual misconduct by former employees and were later fired following a Warner Bros. investigation.
The host of the popular, long-running "Ellen DeGeneres Show" has since apologized to her employees, and during her show's season premiere on Sept. 21, DeGeneres took some time to address the scandal with viewers. "I learned that things happened here that never should have happened," she said. "I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I'm in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show."Harvey Weinstein's conviction in first rape trial was overturned
At his first trial in New York in 2020, Weinstein was convicted of raping Mann in 2013 and assaulting onetime production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006, but the state's highest court overturned the conviction and Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence after concluding he didn't get a fair trial.
A Manhattan jury then convicted Weinstein of sexually abusing Haley at a trial in June 2025, but found him not guilty of assaulting former model Kaja Sokola. The jury deadlocked on the third-degree rape charge, accusing Weinstein of assaulting Mann, leading Farber to declare a mistrial on that count.
Weinstein was also convicted of rape in California in 2022 and is serving a 16-year prison sentence. He is appealing that conviction and sentence.
He will face up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced for abusing Haley. He is currently being held at Rikers Island in Queens, New York.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harvey Weinstein used clout to prey on women, prosecutors tell jury
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