Weinstein sentenced to 23 years for sexual assault

NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison Wednesday for sexually assaulting two women, punctuating a landmark case against the once-powerful movie producer whose downfall brought attention to the #MeToo movement.

In its verdict on Feb. 24, a jury found that Weinstein, 67, forced oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi, now 42, at his apartment in 2006 and raped onetime aspiring actress Jessica Mann, now 34, at a DoubleTree hotel in 2013.

The sentence is seen as a victory for the #MeToo movement, which has toppled numerous powerful men accused of sexual misconduct in recent years, transforming the conversation around assault, harassment and gender. Weinstein’s trial was hailed by advocates as a step forward for assault survivors, especially given that Mann and Haleyi continued their relationship with him after the incidents – and such scenarios were previously considered very difficult to prosecute.

Before Justice James Burke announced the sentence, both of the women read impact statements, and prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon argued for the maximum of 29 years in prison. The judge also heard from Weinstein’s attorneys and the client himself, who compared the #MeToo movement to McCarthyism while playing down his clout in Hollywood and touting his charitable work.

Haleyi said that the events she described in her testimony “altered the course of my life significantly,” and added, “I’m relieved that there are women out there who are safer because he’s not out there.”

She choked up while discussing the torture of testifying: “I showed up not as a perfect victim but as a human being.”

Haleyi added that her life has been in shambles since deciding to come forward and exposing herself to scrutiny, and that she had feared Weinstein’s retribution. “I had panic attacks and nightmares. I feared for my life.”

Mann, wearing a sweater that read “Give me love,” focused on why she did not physically resist Weinstein, telling the judge it was a common response for a rape victim. She said the producer “had every advantage over me, given the immense physical stature of Harvey Weinstein’s height and weight and ox-like strength.”

She also addressed the discovery of Weinstein’s many nondisclosure agreements with accusers of sexual misconduct, and the people in his world who knew about them. “My rape was preventable. This was a known offender.”

Later, Weinstein spoke from a wheelchair at the defense table. “First, to all of the women who testified, we may have different truths, but I have great remorse for you,” he began.

His speech gradually became more rambling, as he suggested that the wave of sexual misconduct accusations against powerful men in recent years has also gone too far, just like McCarthyism. “There was a scar, and that’s what’s happening, what’s happening now all over this country.”

After several minutes, his attorneys tried and failed to put the brakes on his rant.