Harvey Weinstein's New Sentence Likely Defines Where He'll Spend The Rest Of His Life

The following article includes mentions of sexual abuse.

Harvey Weinstein's horrible lifetime of sexual abuse and mishandling of power came to an end in 2017 with the rise of the #MeToo movement and the multitude of women who came forward with their stories of sexual abuse and rape at the hands of the former film producer. Now, years later, Weinstein received a second sentence in connection to sexual crimes he committed. Weinstein was found guilty of his first conviction of two charges related to sexual assault in February 2020 and then sentenced to 23 years in prison. Now, nearly three years later, Weinstein finally got his Los Angeles County sentencing.

In 2020, Weinstein was convicted of two of the five potential criminal charges brought before the court in New York County: criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree. The two women that testified against him were former "Project Runway" production assistant Miriam Haley and former aspiring actor Jessica Mann. However, this most recent trial in Los Angeles County was about Jane Doe 1 in Los Angeles County. As Meghann Cuniff, a legal affairs reporter, wrote on her Substack, Weinstein was convicted of "forced oral copulation, forcible rape and penetration with a foreign object." This conviction tacks on even more years behind bars for the disgraced film mogul.  

On February 23, Harvey Weinstein received a sentencing of 16 years in prison in Los Angeles County for his December 2022 conviction, according to The Daily Beast. Again, he was convicted of three sex crimes against Jane Doe 1, a former model and actress who testified that Weinstein raped her in her hotel room in February 2013. This comes as he's currently serving his other sentence of 23 years in New York. Because he's meant to serve these sentences consecutively, the 70-year-old will likely die behind bars. 

During the sentencing trial, legal affairs reporter Meghann Cuniff tweeted that the disgraced mogul gave a last-minute plea: "Please don't sentence me to life in prison. I don't deserve it. There are so many things wrong with this case." 

Weinstein wanted a new trial before this sentencing, per Cuniff, due to alleged conflicting feelings from two jurors based on evidence they didn't know regarding Jane Doe 1's relationship with another witness. "This is not true. I wasn't there. This is a setup," Weinstein in court, maintaining his claim of innocence throughout. However, LA County Judge Lisa Lench denied his motion for a new trial, giving him his sentence instead.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).