Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 15 years for 2006 sexual assault in New York retrial
A New York judge sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 15 years in prison following his retrial conviction for sexually assaulting production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.
Weinstein handed 15-year term after Manhattan retrial
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday, NBC News reports, more than a year after a jury convicted the former Hollywood mogul of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley — a former production assistant on "Project Runway" — in a New York City apartment in 2006.
Weinstein appeared in the downtown Manhattan courtroom in a wheelchair, his hands cuffed to his seat. Judge Curtis Farber delivered the sentence after sharply rebuking the disgraced producer. "You took what you wanted by force, and you have never accepted responsibility," Farber told Weinstein from the bench.
The 15-year prison term will be followed by five years of supervised release, and Weinstein is required to register as a sex offender.
Victim and defendant both address the court
In a victim impact statement read aloud in the courtroom, Haley said Weinstein "abused his position and power," causing a "devastating effect on my life and security." She added: "It is a life sentence for me."
Weinstein also addressed the court, again denying the allegations while apologising to "anyone I may have hurt by my actions." He had pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree criminal sexual act. "I am not a perfect person," he said, "but I am a person who has made mistakes." He later added: "I am not a violent man."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a statement following the sentencing. "Today was about the survivors," Bragg said. "I'm moved, as we should all be moved, by their courage and their steadfastness through what has obviously been a challenging process."
A case that spanned years of trials and appeals
Wednesday's sentencing marks the latest chapter in a protracted legal saga that began with Weinstein's arrest in 2018 — one of the defining moments of the #MeToo movement.
Weinstein was originally convicted in 2020 of third-degree rape involving former aspiring actor Jessica Mann and first-degree criminal sexual act involving Haley, and sentenced to 23 years. A New York state appeals court overturned that conviction in 2024 and ordered a new trial.
At his retrial, a jury found Weinstein guilty in June 2025 of first-degree criminal sexual act involving Haley, who testified that he forcibly performed oral sex on her in his New York City apartment in 2006. The same jury acquitted him of a separate criminal sex act charge involving allegations from former model Kaja Sokola.
Jurors at the second New York trial could not reach a verdict on the charge related to Mann's allegation. A third trial on that count also ended in a hung jury. In late June, prosecutors declined to pursue a fourth trial on the Mann case.
Separate Los Angeles conviction also under review
Weinstein was convicted separately in Los Angeles in December 2022 of rape and two counts of sexual assault related to a 2013 assault of an Italian actor and model. A Los Angeles judge sentenced him to 16 years in prison in February 2023. He is set to be resentenced in California after an appeals court vacated that original sentence.
The former producer and film distributor continues to deny all allegations of sexual misconduct, maintaining that his sexual encounters were consensual. In total, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment.
Rise and fall of a Hollywood kingmaker
Weinstein once wielded enormous influence in the film industry. His first distribution label, Miramax, released landmark independent films including "Clerks" and "Pulp Fiction." He won an Oscar as a producer of "Shakespeare in Love," and in the early 2010s his second company secured back-to-back best picture wins for "The King's Speech" and "The Artist."
His dominance collapsed in 2017 after The New York Times and The New Yorker published investigations detailing an alleged pattern of sexual harassment and assault. The wave of accusations that followed propelled the #MeToo movement — a broad reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures in high-profile industries.
In recent years, Weinstein's health has visibly deteriorated. He has been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, kidney disease and diabetes, and has been held at the Bellevue Hospital prison ward. He will remain there until transferred to a state prison facility.
Source: Google News MT