Former Hollywood filmmaker Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in New York after being convicted of committing a criminal sexual act against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
The sentence follows his 2025 retrial conviction. Prosecutors had sought 20 years in prison, while his defence requested nine years, citing his health and arguing that a longer sentence could mean he dies in prison.
Weinstein, 74, maintained his innocence while acknowledging that his past conduct had negatively affected others. He apologised to anyone he may have hurt and asked the court for mercy.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg argued against a reduced sentence, saying Weinstein had never shown remorse and had engaged in victim blaming and online harassment.
Judge Curtis Farber sentenced Weinstein to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, and ordered him to register as a sex offender. He also asked that the New York sentence run consecutively to Weinstein's California sentence, although California authorities ultimately determine how the sentences are applied.
Haley testified during Weinstein's April 2025 retrial that he forced her to perform oral sex at his Manhattan apartment in 2006 and physically restrained her when she protested. Speaking before sentencing, she said testifying twice had been traumatising but that she continued with the case despite the cross-examination, media attention and online hostility.
Weinstein was originally convicted in New York in 2020 of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann and sexually assaulting Haley and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. The conviction was overturned in 2024 after New York's highest court ruled that the trial judge had improperly admitted testimony concerning allegations that were not part of the charges.
At the 2025 retrial, Weinstein was again convicted in connection with Haley but acquitted of a charge involving former model Kaja Sokola. The jury could not reach a verdict on the charge involving Mann, which prosecutors later dismissed after she declined to testify again.
Weinstein is also facing a 16-year prison sentence in California, though he has been ordered to be resentenced. His legal team has petitioned the California Supreme Court to review his conviction. (ANI)
Also Read: Robert Pattinson Says ‘The Batman: Part II’ Is ‘So Ambitious’ as Sequel Plans Take Shape