Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison as Years-Long New York Sex Crimes Saga Reaches an End

NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former Hollywood producer whose downfall helped ignite the global #MeToo movement, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison in Manhattan for sexually assaulting a former production assistant in 2006, closing out a New York legal saga that has spanned more than six years, two convictions and a reversal by the state’s highest court.

Weinstein, 74, was convicted last year at a retrial of first-degree criminal sexual act for assaulting Miriam Haley, a former “Project Runway” production assistant, at his Manhattan apartment in 2006. The retrial followed the 2024 reversal of Weinstein’s original 2020 conviction and 23-year sentence, after New York’s highest court ruled he had not received a fair trial due to the inclusion of testimony from accusers whose allegations were not part of the formal indictment.

At the 2025 retrial, the jury convicted Weinstein again on the charge involving Haley, while acquitting him of a separate count involving model Kaja Sokola and deadlocking on a third-degree rape charge tied to an allegation from Jessica Mann. Manhattan prosecutors ultimately dropped the Mann charge rather than pursue a fourth trial, after Mann said she could not bear to testify again, a decision that cleared the way for Wednesday’s sentencing.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber, who presided over the sentencing, delivered a pointed rebuke of Weinstein from the bench. “You will be remembered for the many wonderful films you brought to the silver screen, but recognition for these achievements will pale … for what you did, for what you became. A sexual predator. The literal face of the MeToo movement,” Farber said. He continued, “You took what you wanted by force, and you have never accepted responsibility.”

Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence, while Weinstein’s defense attorneys had asked for nine years; Farber’s 15-year sentence fell between the two requests. Weinstein had faced a maximum of up to 25 years for the charge.

Haley addressed the court directly before sentencing, delivering a victim impact statement describing the toll the yearslong legal process has taken on her. “Having been sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein has had a devastating effect on my life and sense of security that may never go away,” Haley said. “Making the decision to speak up will have me looking over my shoulder for years to come.” She described the experience of testifying against Weinstein across multiple trials as compounding her trauma. “I’ve been further traumatized in exercising my right to hold him accountable,” she said, later adding, “It has often felt like I was the one on trial. This process has been the worst decision of my life, for me personally. I considered pulling out so many times.” Haley, who first testified against Weinstein in 2020 before his conviction was later overturned, said she hoped Wednesday’s proceeding would mark the final time she would need to face him in court. “I certainly didn’t think I’d be standing here again six years after the first conviction,” she said, adding that she trusted it would be her last.

Weinstein addressed the court as well, maintaining his denial of the underlying allegations while offering a limited apology. He apologized “to anyone I may have hurt by my actions” but insisted he never violently attacked anyone. Weinstein appeared in the courtroom in a wheelchair, with his hands cuffed to his seat.

Weinstein has remained incarcerated since his original 2018 arrest, cycling through New York’s prison system amid the repeated retrials, appeals and judicial proceedings that have defined the case. He is currently held at Rikers Island, where he has spent time moving between the general prison population and a secure hospital ward due to ongoing health issues. Weinstein has separately complained publicly about the conditions of his confinement, describing his treatment at Rikers as “torturous” and saying he believes he has been denied basic human rights and treated worse than an animal.

Once one of the most powerful figures in the entertainment industry, Weinstein produced or oversaw a string of acclaimed films, including “Shakespeare in Love,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Chocolat,” before sexual assault allegations became public in 2017 and triggered what grew into the broader #MeToo movement, ultimately drawing accusations from nearly 100 women against him.

Wednesday’s sentencing does not resolve all of Weinstein’s outstanding legal matters. He still faces resentencing in California, where an appeals court vacated his original 16-year sentence tied to a 2013 conviction for raping and sexually assaulting an Italian model and actor at a Los Angeles hotel. It remains unclear whether any new California sentence would run concurrently or consecutively with his New York sentence, and no date has yet been set for that resentencing proceeding. Weinstein is expected to appeal Wednesday’s sentence.

With Wednesday’s sentencing concluding the New York chapter of Weinstein’s legal reckoning, barring a successful appeal, he is expected to remain incarcerated well into his 80s, closing out a case that has stretched across nine years since the allegations against him first became public and helped reshape public conversation around sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry and beyond.