I hold no brief for Harvey Weinstein. Although he's already been convicted in the "Court of Public Opinion," he does deserve something resembling a fair trial in a court of law. It hasn't started off too well for him. He arrived at the Manhattan court house Monday morning for a hearing, navigating through a carnival atmosphere of accusers and protestors with a gaggle of signs reading "Justice for Survivors" and "Coercion is Not Consent." With jury selection to start on Tuesday, the impact of such familiar impediments to a fair trial is worrisome.

Then, just as the trial was about to start, in which Weinstein is charged with the most egregious sexual offenses, something happened that I've never seen before in any criminal proceeding. The Los Angeles County District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, announced that her office had filed new criminal charges against Weinstein for forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by the use of force and sexual battery by restraint.

Using the tactic of a criminal complaint to provide many more details than might appear in an indictment, the complaint spells out how Weinstein gained entry to one woman's hotel room, raped her, and threatened her life, and how he trapped a second woman in a bathroom, grabbed her breasts and masturbated. He faces 28 years in prison if convicted.

Although ethics rules caution prosecutors that they have to be careful about making public statements that might impair a defendant's right to a fair trial, that didn't seem to deter District Attorney Lacey. She stated: "We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them."

There was even speculation that Lacey might issue a warrant for Weinstein's arrest and seek his removal to California.

Defense lawyers asked Judge James Burke to delay the trial for a "cooling off period," and Manhattan prosecutors asked to have Weinstein's bail revoked. Both motions were denied.

New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, whose office is prosecuting the case, certainly doesn't need the assistance of District Attorney Lacey in prosecuting Weinstein. How this extraordinary announcement by Lacey will impact on Weinstein's ability to get a fair trial in New York is unclear. If a jury had already been selected, Judge Burke would have been able to limit the prejudice by sequestering the jury. Now, with a jury not yet selected, Weinstein faces an even more daunting task of empaneling a jury that hasn't heard about Weinstein, hasn't heard about the new charges, and hasn't formed an opinion, even subconsciously, that Weinstein is a notorious sexual predator. And most certainly, the ability to empanel a fair and impartial jury will not be aided by the Los Angeles announcement.

Weinstein's lawyers correctly asked for an adjournment in hopes that the sensational news from Los Angeles would subside. By denying the request, Judge Burke may have handed the Weinstein defense a built-in argument for reversible error in the event Weinstein gets convicted.

It would be interesting to know what motivated District Attorney Lacey to take such a reckless and precipitous action when she could easily have kept the new charges sealed until after Weinstein's New York trial was completed. It would also be interesting to know whether District Attorney Vance knew about this announcement, or had any contact with Lacey about how this announcement might adversely impact the fairness and integrity of the New York trial.

New York's evidentiary rules already give the prosecution a tremendous advantage. Under the so-called "Molineux Rule," the prosecution can supplement the sexual assault charges contained in the indictment with other non-charged sexual assaults by Weinstein. Indeed, according to the New York Law Journal, one of the two alleged victims in Los Angeles is expected to testify in the New York trial.

District Attorney Vance has a solid case. He doesn't need the help, or interference, by the Los Angeles District Attorney. And in the end this unseemly gambit may come back to bite him.

Bennett L. Gershman is a Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University. He is the author of "Prosecution Stories" (Twelve Tables Press, 2018).