Manhattan prosecutors have formally dismissed the rape charge against Harvey Weinstein that stemmed from allegations made by Jessica Mann, following a second mistrial in the case.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on June 25 that his office will not pursue a fourth trial for the 74-year-old former Hollywood producer. The decision came after discussions with Mann, who told prosecutors she no longer wished to testify again after enduring three trials and two grand jury proceedings over eight years.
“We believe Ms. Mann’s account and her credibility as a witness,” Bragg said in a statement. “This has been an extraordinarily taxing ordeal for her, and she never wavered while testifying in front of two grand juries and three trial juries.”
The case centered on allegations that Weinstein raped Mann, an aspiring actress, in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013. A jury deadlocked in May, unable to reach a verdict, prompting Judge Curtis Farber to declare a mistrial.
Weinstein’s legal saga began with a 2020 conviction for raping Mann and assaulting production assistant Miriam Haley, resulting in a 23-year prison sentence. But an appeals court overturned that conviction, ruling Weinstein did not receive a fair trial. At a retrial earlier this year, a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing Haley but acquitted him of assaulting former model Kaja Sokola. The Mann rape charge again ended in a deadlock.
Bragg noted his office will not seek a fourth trial “in consideration of Ms. Mann’s stance, and in recognition of Mr. Weinstein’s class B felony conviction for violently sexually assaulting Miriam Haley.” Prosecutors recommended a 20-year sentence for that conviction, which would account for the harm caused to Haley.
“I want survivors of sexual violence in Manhattan to know that we believe you, and we will fight for you,” Bragg added.
Weinstein has consistently denied all allegations of assault and non-consensual sex. His defense attorney, Jacob Kaplan, argued during the trial that Mann fabricated the allegation due to regret over what he described as a consensual romantic relationship.
After the mistrial was declared, Mann released a statement saying the outcome “doesn’t in any way detract from the truth I told and the violent crimes Harvey Weinstein committed upon me and so many others.”
“I chose to testify in three trials because I am telling the truth,” she said. “For years I have had to relive some of the hardest moments of my life while facing attempts to shame, humiliate and discredit me in open court.”
Mann concluded: “The power of predators remains too great. I deserve justice, which is why I stand up and face unbearable public scrutiny in the name of a greater good – a world where predators are not in power.”
Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for a 2022 rape conviction in California, which he has appealed.
