Harvey Weinstein sentenced to fifteen years in jail in New York sexual assault case


Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film mogul, was sentenced to fifteen years in jail Wednesday morning for a prison sexual assault conviction from 2025.

Weinstein, 74, was convicted of committing a sexual act towards former Challenge Runway manufacturing assistant Miriam Haley at his Manhattan condominium in 2006.

Haley and Weinstein each spoke in a court docket in Decrease Manhattan throughout Wednesday’s sentencing.   

A jury convicted him in 2020 on that and one other rape cost regarding an accusation by actress Jessica Mann. He was sentenced to 23 years, however it was overturned by the State of New York Courtroom of Appeals in April 2024.

A brand new jury convicted Weinstein once more in Haley’s case in 2025.

Prosecutors say Weinstein “has by no means proven an oz of regret”

Weinstein was wheeled into the courtroom carrying a go well with. 

Prosecutors addressed the court docket earlier than sentencing, thanking Haley for her “power, bravery, tenacity and persistence.” 

Prosecutors advised the court docket Weinstein “has by no means proven an oz of regret and refuses to just accept duty for this crime.” 

Prosecutors claimed that Weinstein focused Haley with on-line harassment and sufferer blaming. 

They requested the court docket to condemn him to twenty years in jail and 5 years of post-release supervision, saying his actions pose a “vital menace to society,” and that deterrence is required to ship a message to forestall different highly effective figures from abusing their authority. 

Prosecutors known as a 2025 podcast interview with Weinstein a tour de pressure of victimhood, deflection and conspiracy, and once more mentioned he has been remorseless. Prosecutors mentioned Weinstein continues to forged blame on everybody however himself. 

Mimi Haley addresses the court docket

After prosecutors concluded their presentation, Haley then delivered her sufferer impression assertion. 

“Your Honor, I recognize this chance to talk,” she mentioned. 

She mentioned it’s the second time she’s giving a sufferer impression assertion, including she did not suppose she’d be doing this once more six years after Weinstein’s preliminary conviction and 20 years after the assault happened. 

Haley mentioned Weinstein abused his place and energy, and the assault impacted her confidence professionally and personally. 

She mentioned she thought after the assault she needed to simply “suck it up and cope,” including her coping mechanism was to brush it off. She mentioned it remained a darkish, painful secret that ate away at her spirit. She mentioned she had been recognized with PTSD. 

Haley grew to become emotional, and mentioned when different girls began talking out, she felt there was a gap to share her story. 

Haley mentioned her resolution to testify was not straightforward. 

“Usually felt like I used to be the one on trial,” she mentioned.

Haley mentioned she’s needed to relive the assault and the occasions round it, together with describing it to a grand jury repeatedly, the district legal professional’s workplace, and withstood what she known as belittling and humiliating cross-examination. She talked about being harassed on-line, and mentioned she was ridiculed by Weinstein’s authorized staff and tracked by non-public investigators. 

She mentioned that her resolution to maneuver ahead with the case has felt like “the worst resolution of my life” and that she thought-about pulling out repeatedly, however felt she needed to maintain going. 

Haley mentioned she’ll be trying over her shoulder for years to return, apprehensive about no matter Weinstein could also be plotting. She mentioned he is proven no regret and “no signal of change.” 

Weinstein’s protection attorneys converse

Weinstein’s protection legal professional Marc Agnifilo started his remarks by thanking Haley for showing and mentioned he hopes she feels welcome within the courtroom. 

Agnifilo mentioned the instances are “extremely nuanced, detailed, particular.” On the finish of the day, nonetheless, the curtain should be closed on the investigation into Weinstein, Agnifilo mentioned, noting Weinstein has been convicted in two instances in California – not dozens, not scores of victims – two instances in California that might be handled by the choose in that case. 

Agnifilo mentioned it is necessary to separate what this trial has been about and what occurred in different instances. 

Jacob Kaplan, one other protection legal professional, pointed to Weinstein’s declining well being and advancing age, saying there is not any doubt he is a really sick man. Kaplan went on to checklist quite a lot of illnesses Weinstein is dealing with, saying he takes greater than 20 medicines a day and has been hospitalized six occasions since 2025. 

Kaplan mentioned he isn’t arguing Weinstein should not serve any jail time, including he is already spent six and a half years in jail, however requested the court docket to impose a 9 yr sentence. The longer the sentence, the extra seemingly Weinstein will die in jail, Kaplan mentioned. 

Kaplan mentioned he isn’t asking for a slap on the wrist. He mentioned 269 inmates in New York serving lower than 9 years on first-degree rape costs. 

Kaplan mentioned a nine-year sentence will punish Weinstein whereas additionally not shedding sight that the court docket is sentencing a 74-year-old sick man. 

Weinstein addresses the court docket

Weinstein then addressed the court docket.   

He began by saying he isn’t an ideal particular person, and is an individual who has made errors. Reflecting on all that has occurred since 2017 has helped him acknowledge how his previous conduct has negatively affected others, Weinstein mentioned, including he “sincerely apologize[s] to others” he might have damage along with his actions. 

He then went on to reiterate his innocence. He mentioned he is been “handled as an animal. You are truly lower than an animal,” having been shut off from companionship, daylight, taking showers with no approach to stabilize himself in freezing water. 

Weinstein went on to explain his work in philanthropy, calling them pillars of his life and work, including he needs so as to add prisoner’s rights to his philanthropic efforts going ahead. 

He mentioned he was a perfectionist, and listed a few of the notable motion pictures he had been concerned with together with “Pulp Fiction,” “Chicago,” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech.” 

He mentioned he wished to commit his remaining years to his household. 

Weinstein learn a letter from his daughter to the choose. The letter said she had been topic to bullying in school due to her father. She wrote she was 8 when her dad went to jail. 

“The sound of my youngsters’s laughter is what will get me by today,” Weinstein mentioned, including he hopes he’ll get to embrace them outdoors of jail sooner or later. 

“I actually do have regret for Miriam Haley,” he mentioned in court docket, including he isn’t a violent man, and requested the court docket for mercy. 

Choose delivers sentence

After a quick recess, the choose then spoke. 

He mentioned Weinstein was on prime of the film business. The choose mentioned Weinstein might be remembered for his many fantastic movies, however that “will pale compared for what you probably did, for what you grew to become – a sexual predator, the literal face of the #MeToo motion.” 

The choose mentioned Weinstein lured Haley with the promise of an business job, and mentioned for a few years Weinstein has by no means accepted duty. The choose mentioned that even just lately Weinstein gave interviews saying money-hungry girls got here after him. 

Though he now not poses a bodily menace, he is nonetheless a sexual predator, the choose mentioned. 

The choose mentioned his legacy might have been cemented as one among greatness, however as an alternative he threw all of it away by sexually assaulting Haley. 

The choose then sentenced Weinstein to fifteen years in jail with 5 years post-release supervision. He’ll should register as a intercourse offender. 

Trial background

At a trial earlier this yr, a New York jury grew to become deadlocked and could not attain a verdict on whether or not Weinstein raped Mann. Prosecutors dropped the rape cost as an alternative of attempting him for a fourth time.

Weinstein has already served greater than six years in jail and is now going through as much as 25 years for this conviction. He was accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of ladies, sparking the #MeToo Motion. The allegations have been ongoing for years and have spanned a number of states. 

In California, he was discovered responsible of three counts of sexual assault, together with rape, by a Los Angeles jury in 2022. He was sentenced to 16 years in jail on these costs. 

Weinstein has denied sexually assaulting or raping anybody. He has pleaded not responsible to all the fees he has confronted.

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