Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following his conviction for sexually assaulting former television production assistant Miriam Haley at his Manhattan apartment in 2006.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Curtis Farber on Wednesday after Weinstein was convicted at a retrial of first-degree criminal sexual act involving Haley. He had faced a maximum sentence of 25 years for the offence.
Before the sentence was announced, Haley told the court that the assault had profoundly affected her life and left her struggling with her sense of safety. She also described the consequences of speaking publicly about the incident as an experience that had continued to affect her years later.
Weinstein, 74, apologised to Haley during the proceedings but continued to deny the allegation and said he disagreed with the conviction. He expressed regret over the pain she experienced while maintaining that he was innocent of the offence.
Prosecutors had asked the court to impose a 20-year prison term, while Weinstein’s lawyers sought a shorter sentence, citing his age and reported health difficulties.
The latest sentencing marks another chapter in a legal case that began with Weinstein’s 2020 conviction in New York. He was then sentenced to 23 years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting Haley and raping actress Jessica Mann.
However, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction in 2024 and ordered a retrial, finding that testimony concerning alleged misconduct that was not directly part of the charges had improperly influenced the original proceedings.
At the subsequent retrial, Weinstein was convicted over the allegation involving Haley but acquitted of a separate sexual assault charge brought by Kaja Sokola. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the rape allegation involving Mann.
Prosecutors later abandoned the rape charge rather than pursue another trial after Mann said she could not endure a fourth set of proceedings.
Weinstein is also dealing with a separate case in California. An appeals court there upheld his 2022 conviction for rape and sexual assault in June but ordered a new sentencing after identifying an error in the way his original punishment had been calculated.
The allegations against Weinstein became a defining part of the #MeToo movement after numerous women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017.
More than 80 women have since made allegations against the former producer, all of which he has denied.
