Guilty pleasures
By NewsPress Now
Harvey Weinstein may face new charges as more accusers come forward
NEW YORK | Manhattan prosecutors told a judge Wednesday they are evaluating new claims of sexual misconduct made against Harvey Weinstein and could potentially seek a new indictment against the former movie mogul ahead of his scheduled retrial on rape charges later this year.
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said during a court hearing that additional people have come forward with assault claims and prosecutors are currently assessing which fall under the statute of limitations.
She said some potential survivors that were not ready to step forward during Weinstein’s first trial may now be willing to testify.
When asked by Judge Curtis Farber whether there was a possibility of prosecutors filing a new indictment, Blumberg replied: “Yes, your honor.”
Weinstein appeared before the judge Wednesday afternoon in the same New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial.
He entered the court in a wheelchair, as he has during other recent court hearings after his 2020 conviction was tossed out.
Blumberg said prosecutors would be in a better position to update the court on the direction of the case at the end of June. The retrial on the rape charge is tentatively scheduled for some time after Labor Day.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, also addressed a letter prosecutors sent to the judge l ast week asking him to remind Weinstein’s lawyers not to discuss or disparage potential witnesses in public ahead of the retrial.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office argues that Aidala made statements earlier this month that were meant to intimidate Miriam Haley, a former TV and film production assistant who Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting.
Aidala apologized to the judge but said he didn’t intend to intimidate anyone and that it is the defense’s position that “lies were told at the last trial, and will be told at this one.”
Farber, in response, directed both sides to “refrain from pandering to press,” saying the case will “not be decided in the court of public opinion” but in the court of justice.
He also set the next court date for July 9.
Weinstein’s original trial was held in the same courtroom where Trump is on trial now, but the two men were unlikely to bump into each other. Weinstein is in custody and was brought to and from the courtroom under guard. He appeared in a courtroom on a different floor than where Trump is currently on trial.
At his 2020 trial, Weinstein was convicted of raping Jessica Mann, an aspiring actor, and of sexually assaulting Haley. But last month New York’s highest court threw out those convictions after determining that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that weren’t part of the case. Weinstein, 72, has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
The New York ruling reopened a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein.
Speaking outside of court on May 1, Aidala said Haley lied to the jury about her motive in coming forward and that his team planned an aggressive cross-examination on the issue “if she dares to come and show her face here.”
Haley has said she does not want to go through the trauma of testifying again, “but for the sake of keeping going and doing the right thing and because it is what happened, I would consider it.”
The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named, as both Haley and Mann have.
Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California.
Sean Kingston
agrees to return to Florida, where he is charged in fraud
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. | Rapper and singer Sean Kingston on Tuesday waived his right to fight extradition in a California court and agreed to be turned over to authorities in Florida, where he and his mother are charged with committing more than a million dollars worth of fraud.
Kingston, 34, did not make a public court appearance but signed papers agreeing to skip extradition hearings, representatives from San Bernardino courts and sheriff told The Associated Press.
He remained in a Southern California jail Tuesday afternoon, but sheriff’s officials will coordinate with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office to return him to Florida, sheriff’s spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez said in an email.
Kingston was arrested Thursday at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert where he was performing.
His mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, was arrested the same day, when a SWAT team raided Kingston’s rented mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Kingston and Turner have been charged with conducting an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, identity theft and related crimes, according to arrest warrants released by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. The warrants allege they stole money, jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade and furniture.
The Jamaican American performer had a No. 1 hit with “Beautiful Girls” in 2007 and collaborated with Justin Bieber on the song “Eenie Meenie.”
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney for Kingston and his mother, had said Friday that they planned to waive extradition, saying they looked forward to addressing the charges in a Florida court and “are confident of a successful resolution.”
Emails sent to Rosenblatt for further comment Tuesday were not immediately answered.
The warrants in the case say that from October to March they stole almost $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from the Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank, $86,000 from the maker of customized beds. Specifics were not given.
Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was already on two years’ probation for trafficking stolen property.
His mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison, according to federal court records.
OpenAI to start using news content from News Corp. as part of a multiyear deal
Joining news organizations that have chosen to collaborate rather than fight with the best-known artificial intelligence company, News Corp. has struck a multiyear deal to share news content with OpenAI for both training purposes and to answer questions from users.
As part of the deal, OpenAI will have access to both fresh and archived material from News Corp.’s major news publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and New York Post, Australian publications such as The Daily Telegraph, and others.
The companies would not talk about the length or value of the deal, although News Corp.’s Wall Street Journal said it could be worth more than $250 million over five years.
OpenAI has also made licensing deals with other media companies including The Associated Press, news publishing giants Axel Springer in Germany and Prisa Media in Spain, France’s Le Monde newspaper and the London-based Financial Times.
For the most part, those deals gave access to news content that OpenAI uses for training. But in the News Corp. deal, the artificial intelligence company will be allowed to use news content to answer questions from users. Google announced this month that it is changing its search engines to more directly address queries, instead of directing people to articles put out by news organizations.
Taking a different approach, The New York Times late last year sued OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing the companies of effectively stealing the work of its journalists for use in training chatbots.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said the News Corp. deal represents a proud moment for journalism and technology.
“Together, we are setting the foundation for a future where AI deeply respects, enhances and upholds the standards of world-class journalism,” he said.
Jason Cuomo, senior vice president for Moody’s Ratings, said the deal is credit positive.
“Collaborating with the leader in generative AI validates the company’s approach to effectively monetizing the value of News Corp.’s media brands and validates the opportunity to grow sales and profitability in the news media segment,” Cuomo said.
Amy Homma succeeds Jacqueline Stewart to lead Academy Museum
Jacqueline Stewart is leaving her post leading the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to return to the University of Chicago. Academy Museum veteran Amy Homma will succeed her as director and president, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday.
Stewart, a prominent film scholar and Turner Classic Movies host, has helped steer the Academy Museum through its opening phase, serving as its chief artistic and programming officer from 2020-2022, when she became its leader. During her tenure, she helped make new galleries bilingual and oversaw the opening of many exhibitions, including one on Black Cinema between 1989 and 1971.
Homma has been with the Los Angeles based museum for five years, most recently as its chief audience officer.
The film academy, the organization behind the Oscars, also announced several more promotions in its executive ranks to unite teams within the Academy, including the foundation, the museum and the Oscars. In May, the film academy launched a $500 million fundraising campaign in the leadup to the 100th Oscars in 2028.
“As the Academy evolves, we are bringing teams together to create a better sense of shared purpose across the organization,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement.
Jennifer Davidson was promoted to lead marketing and communications in a newly created role overseeing all arms of the academy and Jenny Galante will serve as the chief revenue officer, leading the Academy100 fundraising campaign.
The organization also said that longtime academy archivist Randy Haberkamp is retiring after 23 years. Matt Severson will succeed him in a new role in which he will oversee the collections and preservation efforts for all 23 million items in the Academy Collection.
—From AP reports
