Harvey Weinstein, a former American film producer was sentenced to sixteen years in prison by a jury after being convicted of raping and assaulting an Italian actress and model in 2013. A Los Angeles court sentenced him on Thursday, 24th February. He attacked the actress during a film festival held in the city of Los Angeles in February 2013. Weinstein has been accused of rape or misconduct by more than 80 people dating back to the late 1970s.
The 70-year old is already serving a sentence of 23 years in prison for a separate conviction from New York.
The Hollywood mogul who was sentenced to life in prison told the court: “Please do not sentence me to it.” I don’t deserve it”.
Weinstein claimed that the victim had “set up” the case against him before the hearing on Thursday. To protect her identity, the victim’s name was changed to Jane Doe 1, so that she could speak in court before the sentence had been read. She described her trauma, and how it has affected her for “many years.”
She said, “Before this night, I was a very confident and happy woman.” “Everything changed when the defendant brutally attacked me. “There is no prison term long enough to undo all the damage.”
Weinstein denied repeatedly to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench, that he knew the victim. “I never raped Jane Doe 1,” he said.
Weinstein called the victim “an actress with the ability to turn on her tears”.
Weinstein sat at the back of the courtroom for the majority of the time, and did not react to the sentence that was read after the judge had rejected a motion from the defence lawyers for a retrial.
Who Is Henry Weinstein?
Henry Weinstein, a former American movie producer, co-founded Miramax with his brother Bob Weinstein. He produced many successful independent films, including The Crying Game and Pulp Fiction. He won an Oscar for producing Shakespeare in Love.
Weinstein and his brother Bob co-founded The Weinstein Company after leaving Miramax and Bob was its chairman from 2005 to 2017.
Harvey Weinstein, the former Oscar-winning producer that sparked the #MeToo Movement
In October 2017, a number of sexual abuse allegations were made against him. Weinstein was fired from his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after Weinstein’s cases, which dated back to 1971, were exposed.
By October 31, more than 80 women had made allegations against Weinstein. These allegations sparked a #MeToo campaign on social media and subsequent sexual abuse accusations against many powerful men in the world. This phenomenon was referred to later as the “Weinstein Effect”.
Weinstein was charged with rape and arrested in New York, in May 2018. He was found guilty in February 2020 of two felonies out of five. Weinstein was sentenced for 23 years at the Wende Correctional Facility. On July 20, 2021 he was extradited back to Los Angeles for a trial. On December 19, 2022, he was found guilty of three out of seven charges.
He was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison at the Los Angeles trial. His California sentence must be served separate from his New York sentence. He is almost certain to spend the rest of his days in prison.
Harvey Weinstein’s spouse said she knew nothing about her husband’s scandals
Georgia Chapman, Weinstein’s spouse, gave her first interview in 2018 after the scandal broke out around her husband. She said that she had no knowledge of his alleged sexual misconduct.
She sobbed and cried in the interview with her two children. In an interview for Vogue’s June issue she said, “what I considered to be a very happy relationship”. I loved my life”.
She says, “There was part of me which was terribly innocent — so naive, clearly,” at another point. “I have moments where I am angry, confused, or disbelieving. And I have moments where I just cry for them. What will their lives be like? “What will people say to them?” her interviewer writes. Chapman cries at this point. “It’s as if they love their father. They love him. “I just can’t stand it for them!”
In January 2018, Georgia reached an agreement to separate from Weinstein, and in July 2021 she divorced her spouse.
Harvey Weinstein’s movies and net worth
Weinstein was nominated for several major film awards, including the BAFTA, Golden Globes and Oscars. Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for Best Picture and BAFTA Best Film. It also won Golden Globes Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Other movies by him include Malena Gangs of New York Nine and My Week with Marilyn.
Celebrity Net Worth reports that Weinstein’s net worth is $ 25 million. At the height of his career, Weinstein’s estimated net worth was $300 million. This valuation was based in part on the value The Weinstein Company had before the 2017 sexual scandals broke.
