Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty before rape trial in Los Angeles Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)-The prosecutor said that former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein (Harvey Weinstein) pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges involving five women in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The 69-year-old Weinstein appeared in a wheelchair for the first time after being extradited from New York on Tuesday, wearing a brown prison uniform, and serving 23 years in prison for rape and other sexual crimes.

Weinstein denies having sex with anyone without consent and is appealing his conviction and sentence in New York.

In Los Angeles, he faced 11 charges of assaulting five women between 2004 and 2013. These include forcible rape, forced oral sex, restraint beatings and the use of force for sexual penetration. If convicted, Weinstein may spend the rest of his life in prison.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that after pleading not guilty through his lawyer on Wednesday, Weinstein was ordered to stay in jail until the next hearing on July 29.

His lawyer stated that he will seek to dismiss the three charges on the grounds that the statute of limitations has expired.

The accusation stated that Weinstein was once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. He was accused of raping two women in a hotel in Beverly Hills on different occasions and sexually assaulting three other women in Beverly Hills or Los Angeles.

He has always opposed extradition on medical grounds, citing diabetes and heart, back and vision problems.

For decades, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, but only a few allegations have led to criminal charges.

He co-founded the Miramax Film Studio, whose popular films include “Shakespeare in Love” and “Pulp Fiction.” His film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018.