The disgraced producer will begin serving his prison sentence at the end of his 23-year sentence from the New York trial.
HARVEY WEINSTEIN WAS SENTENCED TO AN ADDITIONAL 16 YEARS IN PRISON ON THURSDAY, after being found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault at his December trial in Los Angeles.
At his sentencing hearing on Thursday, LA County Judge Lisa Lench sentenced Weinstein to 16 years in jail, to be served at the end of his 23-year sentence for charges brought in New York.
Given Weinstein’s age of 70, the Los Angeles penalty assures that, unless his lawyers successfully appeal the sentences, he will spend the rest of his life in prison. “He’s a 70-year-old man in poor health,” his counsel explained to the judge before sentencing.
Weinstein faced up to 18 years in jail after a jury convicted him of three felonies stemming from an incident in February 2013 in which Weinstein forced himself on an Italian actress after forcing his way into her Los Angeles hotel room.
But, after 10 days of deliberation, the jury was unable to make a decision on the rape and oral copulation accusations brought against Jennifer Seibel Newsom, the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the sexual battery by restraint charge brought against Lauren Young. On those three charges, mistrials were declared.
Given an opportunity to speak on his behalf before sentencing, Weinstein told the judge (via the Associated Press), “I maintain that I’m innocent. Jane Doe 1 was never raped or sexually attacked by me. I’ve never met this woman, and she probably doesn’t know who I am. This is all about money… ”
“She perjured herself,” he continued.
This is a fabricated narrative. Jane Doe 1 works as an actress. She has the ability to elicit tears. Please do not imprison me for life. It’s not fair to me. There are numerous issues with this case. There are much too many gaps. This case has far too many flaws. This is merely a setup. In this case, this is not the way to act.”
The Los Angeles verdict came nearly three years after a different jury in New York convicted Weinstein on similar allegations. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison in that case.
Weinstein’s legal team, on the other hand, is appealing his New York conviction this summer. If the appeal is successful, the Los Angeles sentence could ensure that Weinstein, 70, spends the rest of his life in prison. If the appeal is denied, Weinstein could be sentenced to life in prison in New York until 2043.
More than a hundred women — including actors Ashley Judd, Annabella Sciorra, Mira Sorvino, Salma Hayek, Rosanna Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paz de la Huerta, and Asia Argento — have stepped forward with claims Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them since a Pulitzer Prize-winning exposé helmed by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey revealed he had paid off sexual assault accusers for years.
