Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 15 years in prison after retrial for sexual assault
The former Hollywood mogul was sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison for this assault, but an appeals court overturned the conviction four years later on procedural grounds.
Image of Harvey Weinstein
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison in New York following a retrial for sexual assault against a former production assistant.
Weinstein, 74, was accused of forcing Miriam Haley to perform oral sex on him in 2006; one of dozens of women who have filed complaints against the 74-year-old Miramax founder, producer of films such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love."
The former Hollywood mogul was sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison for this assault, but an appeals court overturned the conviction four years later on procedural grounds.
In a retrial, Weinstein was once again found guilty in June of last year.
In a New York courtroom packed with media and the public—including Haley herself—the defendant pleaded for leniency.
"I am not a violent man. I ask for mercy," said Weinstein, who wore a dark suit with a red tie and sat in a wheelchair due to health issues.
"I live with many regrets and sincerely apologize to anyone I may have hurt through my actions," he added, while continuing to maintain his innocence during remarks met by loud groans inside the court.
The prosecution had sought a 20-year prison sentence for Weinstein, while his lawyers warned that a longer sentence would likely result in him dying in prison.
Other cases against Weinstein
Weinstein will soon learn his new sentence from the California state court for raping and sexually assaulting an actress in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2013, after an appeals court upheld his guilty verdict in June but overturned the 16-year prison sentence.
Meanwhile, in May, a New York judge declared a mistrial in the case against him for the alleged sexual assault of actress Jessica Mann after the jury failed to reach a verdict.
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