24 September,2026 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Harvey Weinstein (Pic/Instagram)
Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley. The disgraced Hollywood producer, who has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, maintained his innocence while seeking leniency. His latest sentencing comes after years of trials, appeals and courtroom battles.
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday, more than a year after a jury found the former Hollywood mogul guilty of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley. To note, he was under medical care for several weeks as he awaited sentencing.
In a victim impact statement read aloud in the courtroom, Haley said Weinstein "abused his position and power," causing a "devastating effect on my life and security."
Weinstein, 74, pleaded for mercy, citing his age and health issues, including cancer and congestive heart failure. He apologised "to anyone I have affected with my actions" and said he felt remorse for Haley. However, he added, "I have to reiterate my innocence." Prosecutors had recommended 20 years in prison, along with five years of post-release supervision. Weinstein's defence had sought a nine-year sentence, citing his health and arguing that a longer term could mean he dies in prison.
Once a towering figure in Hollywood, with such hits as Shakespeare in Love, Pulp Fiction and Chocolat, Weinstein's downfall came quickly after sexual assault allegations in 2017 set off the #MeToo movement. Harvey Weinstein faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct beginning in 2017, after investigations by The New York Times and The New Yorker brought widespread attention to claims from numerous women.
He was accused by many women of sexual harassment, assault and rape; he denied non-consensual sexual activity and denied many of the allegations. In 2020, he was convicted in New York of a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison. That conviction was overturned in 2024 by the New York Court of Appeals, which ordered a retrial, citing trial errors.
Separately, in 2022, Harvey Weinstein was convicted in California of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration involving one woman, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The cases became a major part of the wider Me Too movement.
Weinstein's other convictions, including another sexual felony in New York and others in California, still stand. New York prosecutors recently chose not to pursue a rape charge against the disgraced 74-year-old producer for a fourth time.
