Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 15 Years for Sexually Assaulting Former Assistant

A New York court has sentenced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting his former assistant, Miriam Haley. The sentence follows a retrial, after New York State's highest court overturned the original conviction in 2024 and ordered a new trial.

According to NBC News, jurors once again found the 74-year-old Weinstein guilty of forcing Haley to perform oral sex on him in 2006. Weinstein continues to deny the charge, even after the new verdict.

The Victim's Testimony and Weinstein's Response

Testifying in court, Haley described the devastating toll the assault has taken on her life. "What Harvey Weinstein did to me has had a destructive effect on my life and my sense of safety — possibly forever," she said. She added that her decision to speak publicly about her experience had brought her years of fear, calling it essentially a "life sentence" of her own.

Weinstein apologized to Haley but reiterated his claim of innocence. "I'm sorry for the pain Miriam Haley has suffered, but I must say again — I am innocent," he told the court. His lawyers cited his poor health and asked for a significantly lighter sentence.

What the Original Sentence Included

Weinstein was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison. Besides the Haley case, that verdict covered the 2013 rape of actress Jessica Mann and the 2002 sexual assault of Kaja Sokola, then a 16-year-old aspiring actress. That sentence, along with the Haley conviction, was thrown out in 2024.

In the retrial, jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the Mann case, and prosecutors ultimately dropped the rape charge after Mann said she could not go through the ordeal of testifying again.

Weinstein, now 74, has already spent more than six years behind bars. His lawyers say he suffers from numerous serious health conditions and uses a wheelchair. He retains the right to appeal the new sentence. He also still faces sentencing in a separate rape case in Los Angeles.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz