Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison
Just a few years removed from his position as one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. As noted by The New York Times, Judge James A. Burke “could have sentenced Mr. Weinstein, 67, to as little as five years and as much as 29.” In February, a jury found Weinstein guilty of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. (Weinstein was also found not guilty of the most serious charges against him, two counts of predatory sexual assault.)
Weinstein’s downfall was a long time coming, but proceeded rapidly following a series of articles about his alleged abuses and cover-ups by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey in The New York Times. The allegations against Weinstein sparked more stories, against him and other predators, sparking an entire #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault. One of the women who Weinstein was convicted of assaulting said at his sentencing that “The day my screams were heard from the witness room was the day my voice came back to its full power. Rape is not just one moment of penetration. It is forever.” (Her quote comes from the Associated Press, which does not name people who have been sexually assaulted without their consent.)
If Weinstein serves all of his 23 years, he would be 90 years old when he is released from prison. Weinstein’s legal troubles are not over either. He still faces charges in a separate case in Los Angeles, based on allegations of an attack in 2013.
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