Weinstein’s lawyers appeal for leniency for ‘first-time offender’

HARVEY WEINSTEIN’S defence team has asked the judge to take into account his “historic fall from grace” and “unrivalled” vilification, and show leniency when sentencing him today, even as documents emerge in which his own brother says he belongs “in hell”.

Weinstein, 67, faces up to 29 years in prison if Judge James Burke decides to throw the full weight of the law at him. At a minimum he will get five years.

On Friday, Joan Illuzzi-orbon, the prosecutor, wrote to Mr Burke to ask for the most severe sentence to be handed down, given “his total lack of remorse for the harm he has caused”.

Weinstein was found guilty of rape and a criminal sex act on Feb 24.

Mrs Illuzzi-orbon wrote that the case had managed to “establish that throughout his entire adult professional life, the defendant has displayed a staggering lack of empathy, treating others with disdain and inhumanity.” She continued: “He has consistently advanced his own sordid desires and fixations over the well-being of others. He has destroyed people’s lives and livelihoods or threatened to do so on whim.

“He has exhibited an attitude of superiority

‘His life story and his struggles are simply remarkable and should not be disregarded’

and complete lack of compassion for his fellow man.”

Yesterday, on the eve of sentencing, more than 1,000 pages of emails and documents sent by Weinstein were made public in which Weinstein begged for forgiveness and support from friends including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, and Apple

CEO Tim Cook. Weinstein told them, in November 2017 – a month after The New York Times published bombshell allegations against him – that he was suicidal.

Weinstein’s brother Bob, with whom he co-founded Miramax, responded: “F--- u Harvey Weinstein. I pray there is a real hell. That’s where u belong. U deserve a lifetime achievement award for the sheer savagery and immorality and inhumanness, for the acts u have perpetrated.” He added that his brother should not reply to the email.

Weinstein’s lawyers attempted to portray their client as a misunderstood, “complicated” character who spent his life generously supporting charity efforts, and who should not be overly punished as “a first-time offender”.

“His life story, his accomplishments, and struggles are simply remarkable and should not be disregarded in total because of the jury’s verdict,” wrote Damon Cheronis, one of his lawyers.