Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty to a new sex crime charge in New York on Wednesday.
Weinstein, 72, who underwent emergency heart surgery a week earlier, appeared in a Manhattan court in a wheelchair and entered his plea to one count of criminal sexual act.
The once-powerful movie titan was unshaven and looked pale and frail as he appeared before Judge Curtis Farber. He wore a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the new indictment against Weinstein is for the alleged sexual assault of a woman at a hotel in Lower Manhattan sometime between April 29, 2006, and May 6, 2006.
“Because of this victim courageously coming forward, Harvey Weinstein has now been charged with an additional alleged predatory sexual assault,” Bragg said in a statement.
“The investigation is ongoing,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the indictment, Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said the alleged sexual assault case behind the new charge is “nearly two decades old” and “at this point I don’t know anything more.”
Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to rape charges in California.
He was also convicted in New York in 2020 of raping and sexually assaulting an actress and forcibly performing oral sex on a production assistant.
He was sentenced to 23 years in prison in that case.
However, a New York appeals court overturned that conviction in April, and Weinstein is awaiting a retrial on those charges.
The new trial had been scheduled to begin on Nov. 12 but prosecutors said on Wednesday that date seemed “unrealistic.”
Farber set Weinstein’s next court hearing for October 2.
The one-time Hollywood veteran suffered a number of health issues while in prison and had to spend time in a secure hospital unit.
Weinstein was rushed from New York’s Rikers Island jail to Bellevue Hospital for emergency heart surgery last week.
The allegations against Weinstein helped launch the #MeToo movement in 2017, a watershed moment for women fighting sexual misconduct.
More than 80 women accused him of harassment, sexual assault or rape, including prominent actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.
Weinstein claimed the sex in question was consensual.
Weinstein and his brother Bob co-founded Miramax Films.
His hits include 1994’s “Pulp Fiction” and 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” for which Weinstein shared the best picture Oscar.
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