Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in New York state prison on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, after being found guilty of rape last month.
In a press release obtained by In Touch, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. said, “We thank the court for imposing a sentence that puts sexual predators and abusive partners in all segments of society on notice.” He added, “We thank the survivors for their remarkable statements today and indescribable courage over the last two years. Harvey Weinstein deployed nothing less than an army of spies to keep them silent. But they refused to be silent, and they were heard. Their words took down a predator and put him behind bars, and gave hope to survivors of sexual violence all across the world.”
Prior to the verdict, Harvey told the court that he felt “remorse” and said he would try to “be a better person.” Addressing his accusers, the disgraced Hollywood mogul stated, “I’m not going to say that these aren’t great people … I’ve had wonderful times with these people.”
Weinstein’s accusers who testified during his trial — Jessica Mann, Miriam “Mimi” Haley, Annabella Sciorra, Tarale Wulff, Lauren Young and Dawn Dunning — sat in the front row of the courtroom during his sentencing.
While there have been several accusations of sexual misconduct made against the producer, his sentence refers to the rape of Mann in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on Haley in 2006.
On February 24, Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act. He was acquitted of first-degree rape and two charges of predatory sexual assault on February 21.
“If Harvey Weinstein had not been convicted by this jury, it would have happened again and again and again,” Haley told the court during his sentencing. “I’m relieved he will now know he’s not above the law. I’m relieved there are women out there who are safer because he’s not out there.”
In May 2018, Weinstein turned himself in and was indicted on further charges in July 2018. “A Manhattan Grand Jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York’s Penal Law,” Manhattan D.A. Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement at the time. “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward.”
According to Ben Brafman, one of the Weinstein’s lawyers, he planned to plead not guilty. “Mr. Weinstein maintains that all of these allegations are false, and he expects to be fully vindicated,” the attorney said. “Furthermore, to charge Mr. Weinstein as a predator when the interactions were each consensual is simply not justified.”
Greg Risling, a spokesman with the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment at the time on when Weinstein could be extradited to Los Angeles.
In a separate trial stemming from allegations by four women identified in the courtroom as Jane Does – which started in October 2022 – a Los Angeles Jury found the disgraced producer guilty on one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault on December 19, 2022. However, Weinstein was acquitted of one count of sexual battery, according to NBC News, CNN and The New York Times. Additionally, a jury could not decide on three other sexual assault charges against the former media mogul.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.
Discussion about this post