Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood mogul, has been sentenced to 16 years in jail for a rape conviction in Los Angeles, adding to his more than two-decade-long sentence in New York.
Weinstein, 70, was convicted in the Los Angeles case in December, three years after being convicted in a New York City s3x crimes trial. Weinstein’s new sentence will run concurrently with the 23-year sentence he received in his New York trial, giving him a total of 39 years in prison for sex offenses charges.
A jury in Los Angeles found Weinstein guilty of three counts relating to the complainant identified as Jane Doe 1: forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by foreign object.
The jury acquitted him of se.xual battery by constraint concerning a second accuser, Jane Doe 2, but was unable to reach convictions on charges involving Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 4.
Gloria Allred, an attorney, filed a motion in court on Tuesday on behalf of three women after a judge refused to allow them to read victim impact statements at their sentencing. According to Allred’s motion, the decision violates the women’s rights under Marsy’s Law, which grants the right to people who are directly or indirectly harmed by a crime.
The judge declined to postpone the sentencing to hear Allred’s appeal, although Jane Doe 1 was allowed to make a statement to the court prior to the judge’s ruling.
“I was excited about my future,” she told the court, crying as she spoke. “Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. … I soon became invisible to myself and to the world. I lost my identity. I was heartbroken, empty, and alone.”
According to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, Weinstein could have faced up to 24 years in prison in the Los Angeles case.
His legal team filed an appeal, asking a new trial, claiming that evidence of a love relationship between Jane Doe 1 and a witness was excluded, which could have influenced the jury’s judgment.
The request was refused by Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench.
Weinstein, who was dressed in a wheelchair and a gray county jail outfit, was also given the opportunity to speak. He asserted his innocence, accusing Jane Doe 1 of being a “actor” with the ability to “switch on” her emotions.
“Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it,” Weinstein said. “There are so many things wrong with this case. … This is a setup.”
He issued a statement later Thursday accusing Jane Doe 1 of having falsified her allegations as part of a “money grab.” He also accused her of having perjured herself.
“It is incredible to be convicted for a crime I wasn’t even present for. I am innocent. I never raped or assaulted anyone,” he said.
Weinstein is serving a 23-year sentence on a rape case that was considered a landmark trial of the #MeToo movement.
Juda Engelmayer, a spokesman for Weinstein, said the sentence was cruel, given Weinstein’s age and health.
“There are many out there who will celebrate this action, but it is a sad day for justice and fairness, and I hope no one who is pleased with this is ever caught on the wrong side of cancel culture while hopelessly and voicelessly proclaiming innocence,” Engelmayer said.
Jane Doe 1’s attorney, Dave Ring, praised the judge’s decision for providing his client closure and recognized the “tremendous courage” it took for his client to come forward and testify.
“Jane Doe 1 withstood two full days of blistering cross-examination by Weinstein’s lawyers, but the jurors unanimously convicted him, and now he has been sentenced by the court,” Ring said.
Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act in New York in 2020 for offenses against two women, one an aspiring actress and the other a “Project Runway” production assistant. An appeal is now pending.
In both cases, Weinstein pleaded not guilty and rejected all claims of nonconsensual sex. Weinstein waived his opportunity to testify at both trials.