New Delhi: Harvey Weinstein, a former head of Hollywood who was already serving a 23-year prison term in New York, was given an additional 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault on Thursday in Los Angeles. Before his verdict, Weinstein spoke in court and maintained his innocence, calling the prosecution's case a "setup."
He said, "I maintain that I’m innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1. I never knew this woman, and the fact is she doesn’t know me. This is about money.”
“Please don’t sentence me to life in prison,” he added. “I don’t deserve it.”
As a 70-year-old man in poor health, his attorneys requested the judge for a sentence that would run concurrent with his present 23-year sentence. The model and actress Jane Doe 1, whose evidence was crucial to the convictions, also described to the judge how the assault had altered her.
Speaking about the trauma that she faced after being assaulted by Weinstein, she said, "Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman. I valued myself and the relationship I had with God. I was excited about my future. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me."
She added, "I thought I did something wrong because he chose me that night. I thought I did something wrong for him to do that to me. I soon became invisible to myself and to the world. I lost my identity. I was heartbroken, empty and alone."
Jane Doe 1 testified that Weinstein, 70, abused her in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2013 and was charged with rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, and forcible oral copulation. Weinstein was found guilty of these crimes in December.
The New York Times and The New Yorker's reporting in 2017 that alleged Weinstein's history of sexual abuse, harassment, and secret settlements as he exploited his influence as a Hollywood power broker to exploit young women culminated to the second sentencing for Weinstein on sexual assault charges.
Weinstein was one of the most influential figures in Hollywood at the time and worked on the creation of "Pulp Fiction," "Clerks," and "Shakespeare in Love," among other films. In what became known as the #MeToo movement, the revelations sparked a wave of women speaking out publicly about the prevalence of sexual abuse and harassment.
Prosecutors in the Los Angeles trial claimed that, like in the New York trial, Weinstein was a prominent figure in Hollywood who made use of his connections to persuade women to meet with him in private, assault them, and then silence any complaints.
Weinstein's accusers, including a model, a dancer, a massage therapist, and Siebel Newsom, all testified in the trial with great emotion. They were asked to recount the specifics of their accusations against the producer, provide information about meetings they had with him in the past, and describe their reactions to the alleged assaults.
The claims against Weinstein, according to his defense attorneys, were made up or happened consensually as a result of a "transactional relationship" with the film producer. Weinstein had entered a not guilty plea.