Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein has been charged with six more counts of forcible sexual assault in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday three counts of forcible rape and three counts of forcible oral copulation against Weinstein. The office alleges that he raped a woman at a hotel in Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2005, and raped another woman twice – in November 2009 and November 2010.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey said the latest accusations helped prosecutors built a compelling criminal case against him.
“I am thankful to the first women who reported these crimes and whose courage have given strength to others to come forward,” Lacey said in a statement. “The willingness of these latest victims to testify against a powerful man gives us the additional evidence we need to build a compelling criminal case.
Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence in New York after he was convicted in February of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree involving one woman, and rape in the third degree involving another. His conviction was hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men.
Weinstein and his legal team have repeatedly denied all criminal allegations. If convicted as charged in Los Angeles, he could up to 140 years to life in prison.