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Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles.
The disgraced movie producer entered the plea on Wednesday, the day after he was extradited from New York to California after multiple delays.
Weinstein was brought into court in a wheelchair, according to The Associated Press. He spoke only to say “thank you” to Judge Sergio Tapia, who wished him good luck as the hearing ended.
The 69-year-old pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts. The charges involve alleged attacks on five women between 2004 and 2013.
The seven sexual assault charges Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to include four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint, and one count of sexual penetration by use of force. All 11 charges together could amount to a sentence of 140 years.
Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of third-degree rape and of a criminal sexual act in New York. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison, which he was serving at the Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo before his extradition.
Weinstein has appealed the conviction. He has maintained his innocence and denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
His Tuesday’s extradition came amid efforts by his legal team to pause the proceedings. They had invoked medical reasons, citing diabetes and cardiac, back, and eyesight problems. But a New York judge cleared the path for the extradition to take place in June.
He now awaits a second trial.
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