Harvey Weinstein extradited to California to face sexual assault charges

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is being extradited to California to face sexual assault charges there.

“This morning at approximately 9:25 custody of Mr. Harvey Weinstein was handed over to the appropriate officials for transport to the state of California per a court order,’’ the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said in a statement Tuesday.

Allegations against the former film producer sparked the #MeToo social media campaign movement after more than 80 women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment and misconduct.

In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault and rape in the third degree in New York and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. He was serving out his sentence at Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York. His lawyers filed an appeal of the rape conviction in April.

But his legal battles continue in California, where he faces further charges.

The Los Angeles District Attorney charged Weinstein with rape in January 2020, as his trial was beginning in New York.

In Los Angeles, he is charged with four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force. The counts involve five women and stem from alleged events in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills from 2004 to 2013.