Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 16 years in jail, which probably means the former Hollywood mogul and convicted rapist might die in prison.
Weinstein was sentenced in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, nearly two months afterhis Los Angeles trial ended with a jury convicting him on three counts of rape and sexual assault.
Harvey Weinstein is already serving a 23 years sentence in New York, after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in a 2020 trial. On Thursday, the judge ordered Weinstein to serve his L.A. sentence consecutively after New Yorks’.
Weinstein addressed the court one last time, stilling saying that he was innocent. “I maintain that I’m innocent,” he said to Judge Lisa B. Lench.
“This is about money and coming after me. Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it… There are so many things wrong with this case. There is no evidence… This is a setup… I beg your mercy,” he added.
Weinstein’s defense team, led by Mark Werksman and Alan Jackson, begged the judge to sentence him to three years per charge, urging her to consider who he (Weinstein) was “before he became accused as a sexual predator,”
His defense added that the father of five have “become a caricature because of the #MeToo movement.” His attorney noted that 70 years old Weinstein has medical issues and ailing health.
Weinstein’s defense also begged the judge to look into the Weinstein’s accomplishment in the entertainment industry. “Mr. Weinstein did a lot of good for a lot of people in a 50-year career,” he said.
“He produced hundreds of films that were a joy to millions of people… He was a man that many famous movie stars would thank in their Oscar speeches… He gave generously to charities and political causes.”
“He produced hundreds of films that were a joy to millions of people… He was a man that many famous movie stars would thank in their Oscar speeches… He gave generously to charities and political causes.”
The judge however sentenced Weinstein to 16 years for the three charges on which the jury found him guilty.
All three charges on which Weinstein was convicted were based on the counts relating to Jane Doe #1, a European model who testified that she was raped by Weinstein at Mr. C Hotel after the L.A. Italia Film Festival in 2013.
Joe Doe #1 appeared in court, alongside her daughter, to give an emotional victim impact statement in tears. She urged the judge to imprison Weinstein for life. “There is no prison sentence long enough to erase the damage,” she said. “I hope you give him the maximum sentence allowed.”
“It is extremely difficult for me to stand here, ten years later, as the effects of this rape are still raw, and difficult to discuss. I have been carrying this weight, this trauma, this irrational belief that it was my fault for years,” she said, addressing the judge. “His selfish, disgusting actions have greatly impacted me and my life. What he did to me was horrible.”
However, Harvey Weinstein debunked Joe Doe’s emotions, saying she was an actress and can come up with tears easily. He added that he does not know who she was.
“The fact is I don’t know this woman and she doesn’t know me. This is a made-up story. With all due respect, Jane Doe #1 is an actress and can turn on the tears… This isn’t true,” Weinstein said.
Jane Doe #1 will most likely be the focal point of their appeal as Weinstein’s team focused intently on Jane Doe #1, using her as their argument torequest a new trial with a new jury.
Weinstein’s attorneys delivered a long argument why he should be granted another trial, alleging that the judge “allowed perjury on the stand” from Jane Doe #1. Jackson said the defense was “sandbagged by a lie told on the stand,” and claimed the jury “got sucked into the lies of Jane Doe #1.”
His team have said they will continue fighting for Weinstein’s freedom. Werksman and Jackson said on Thursday that they will be appealing the Los Angeles conviction. In New York, the Court of Appeals, which is the highest court in the state, agreed to hear Weinstein’s appeal of his 2020 sex crimes conviction.
