Media Mogul Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Rape
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York court after he was convicted for the rape and sexual assault cases.
In a landmark case for the #MeToo movement, disgraced Film, and Entertainment Mogul, Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York court, after he was convicted for the rape and sexual assault cases. The accusations against him ignited the #MeToo movement globally, against the men, who are abusing positions of power.
Justice James Burke ignored the pleas of Weinstein’s defense team to give Harvey Weinstein, the minimum of five years behind the bars, thereby issuing a heavy sentence, which is close to the maximum 29 years.
Earlier, Weinstein told the court he was “totally confused” about what was happening as he said, “I am worried about this country, adding that his ‘empathy’ had increased in the three years”.
The sentence of the court thus scripted the sensational downfall for the once-powerful 67-year-old, Media and Entertainment Mogul, who lost much of his personal fortune, which is estimated at $150 million in the court cases.
Over 90 women including Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie have come forward against him alleging 40 years of predatory behavior by the Oscar-winning Producer of ‘Shakespeare in Love’ and a number of critical and box office hits.
The Silence Breakers, a group of 24 women that includes Ashley Judd, Rosanna Arquette, Lauren Sivan and Rose McGowan who fought against Weinstein said in a statement, “He is going to jail but no amount of jail time will repair the lives he ruined, the careers he destroyed, or the damage he has caused.”
Weinstein was brought to the Manhattan criminal court from the notorious Rikers Island jail, where was bound for months, in a wheelchair to learn his fate.
In the first degree, he was found guilty of a criminal sexual act and rape in the third degree on February 24, in a verdict that is hailed by the #MeToo movement.
7 men and 5 women have convicted Weinstein of raping actress Jessica Mann in the year 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on his former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in the year 2006. 34-year-old Mann and 42-year-old Haleyi have both delivered powerful victim impact statements in the court.
Haleyi said, “the attack by Weinstein has diminished my confidence and faith in people.” Meanwhile, Mann said his conviction had given her the strength to rebuild her life. She told the court, “My monsters are no longer hiding in my closet”.
The film producer, who is famous for his hard-nosed approach to work and Oscars campaigns is now expected to be imprisoned outside New York City and later he will be taken to Los Angeles, where he faces other charges of sex crimes.
