Harvey Weinstein timeline: From allegations to verdict, how former Hollywood mogul got convicted of rape and assault

Verdict in criminal trial comes more than two years after initial reports of allegations

Harvey Weinstein was convicted on Monday of sexual assault and third-degree rape, five weeks after the opening arguments in his New York City criminal trial.

The former movie mogul now faces up to 29 years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing on 11 March.

He was led away in handcuffs on Monday, as his lawyers indicated he was being taken to a medical facility at Rikers Island jail.

The verdict was seen as a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement. It comes more than two years after allegations against the former producer were published in The New York Times and The New Yorker.

Here is a timeline of how the allegations against Weinstein became public – and how they led to Monday’s verdict:

5 October 2017: The New York Times reports Weinstein allegedly settled with eight women who accused him of unwanted physical contact and sexual harassment over three decades. Weinstein in a statement apologised for causing pain to colleagues and said he was taking a leave of absence and entering therapy.

6 October 2017: Weinstein takes indefinite leave of absence from The Weinstein Co. The company later says he is fired.

10 October 2017: The New Yorker reports allegations by 13 women who claimed Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them, including three who alleged he raped them. Weinstein again denies non-consensual sex.

10 October 2017: Chapman, Weinstein’s wife, says she was leaving him.

14 October 2017: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that selects the Oscar winners, expels Weinstein.

October 2017: Actress Alyssa Milano fuels the expansion of the #MeToo movement, founded by Tarana Burke, by writing on Twitter: “If you’ve ever been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” In the following weeks, #MeToo would be used by millions of women.

1 January 2018: Hollywood celebrities launch the Time’s Up campaign to fight sexual harassment in the workplace.

25 May 2018: Weinstein surrenders to New York police on charges of rape and a criminal sex act involving alleged assaults against two women, in 2004 and 2013.

5 June 2018: Weinstein pleads not guilty to the charges.

9 June 2018: Weinstein pleads not guilty to new charges of sexually assaulting a third woman in 2006.

11 October 2018: Weinstein wins dismissal of the charges over the alleged 2004 assault. Charges involving the other two women remain pending.

17 January 2019: Benjamin Brafman, Weinstein’s defence attorney, issues statement saying he is quitting, without elaborating.

25 January 2019: Weinstein appears in court to announce new defence team.

26 April 2019: Weinstein’s trial is delayed until 9 September to allow defence more time to gather evidence.

11 July 2019: Weinstein hires third legal team after a second team of defence attorneys exits the case.

26 August 2019: Weinstein pleads not guilty to new indictment involving the same two women accusing him of two counts of predatory sexual assault, in 2006 and 2013. His trial is pushed back to 6 January 2020.

11 December 2019: Weinstein and his bankrupt studio reach tentative $25m settlement with dozens of women who accused him of sexual misconduct.

6 January 2020: Los Angeles prosecutors announce sexual assault charges against Weinstein just hours after he appeared in a New York court for the start of his trial.

7 January 2020: Jury selection at Weinstein’s trial begins in New York.

18 February 2020: Jury begins deliberations.

24 February 2020: Jury convicts Weinstein of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping another woman in 2013. It acquits him on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault.

Additional reporting by agencies