Harvey Weinstein in an Oct. 4, 2022, file photo in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles – A judge in Los Angeles has sentenced former film producer Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison after being convicted of rape in his second trial involving the sexual abuse of women. Three years ago in New York, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison, and he will begin serving his second sentence only after the original one expires. According to Variety, it is virtually certain that the former Hollywood giant will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
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Today's verdict stems from the attack on an unnamed model and actress that took place in a hotel in Los Angeles in 2013. Weinstein also faced accusations of abusing three other women in last year's trial, but the jury only found him guilty in the case of one of the complainants . She acquitted him of charges related to another alleged victim and did not reach a conclusion on the other two.
The convict, who will be 71 years old in March, insists on his innocence even in the case for which he heard the sentence today. Before announcing the sentence, he stated in the courtroom that he did not even know the woman in question. The model and actress, who spoke anonymously in court, cried during his speech, AP writes, and just before described how the experience with Weinstein had marked her.
“Before that night, I was a very happy and confident woman.. . I looked forward to the future with excitement. Everything changed when the defendant brutally assaulted me. No sentence is long enough to undo the damage,” she said.
In 2020, Weinstein was convicted of sexual assault in New York former assistant and rape of actress Jessica Mann. More than 80 women have publicly accused him of sexual harassment or abuse in recent years. The former head of production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company spent decades abusing his influence to put his victims in vulnerable positions, according to their testimony. His scandal broke out in 2017 after the publication of an article by The New York Times, which launched an avalanche of accusations against other famous men known as the MeToo movement.
