The LA sentence added to the 23-year New York sentence handed down in 2020 means that 70-year old Oscar-winning producer will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
On Thursday, L.A. Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench sentenced Weinstein to 16 years in prison following his December convictions of rape, forced oral copulation and another sexual misconduct count all against one accuser known as Jane Doe 1.
In July 2021, Weinstein was extradited to California to face trial for 11 sexual assault counts made by four women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2004 and 2013, one of whom was Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
The convictions handed down on Thursday were all related to the accusations made by an anonymous European model who alleged that Weinstein raped her in 2013 at the “Mr. C” hotel in Beverly Hills.
The jury acquitted Weinstein of sexual battery of a massage therapist, and were deadlocked on the other
allegations involving several women, including Siebel Newsom. A mistrial was declared on those counts.
Juda Engelmayer, a representative for Weinstein, said that the former Hollywood career-maker has become a target of “cancel culture” and that there will be an appeal.
“It’s a cruel sentence, given his age, his health and the conditions of his conviction in Los Angeles, when the sole charge was from a person who lied, with the judge and prosecutor well aware of it and permitting it, about critical elements of her own claim,” Weinstein’s rep, Juda Engelmayer, told Fox News Digital. “It’s not justice, but a pile on for a man many people just decided should be cast off and discarded regardless of facts.
“It will be appealed. The judge, just like the trial judge in his New York trial who was not reappointed to the bench, will eventually be called out for bias and injustice. There are many out there who will celebrate this action, but it is a sad day for justice and fairness, and I hope no one who is pleased with this is ever caught on the wrong side of cancel culture while hopelessly and voicelessly proclaiming innocence.”
Source: Fox News
Hundreds of women have come forward accusing Weinstein of rape and other acts of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1980s.
Weinstein still faces charges in London for two alleged offenses in 1996 and British police are still investigating more possible charges for incidents between 1980 and 2015. Britain, unlike many other countries, does not have a statute of limitations on sexual assault.
Sources:
Ash, Janelle, and Wright, Tracey. “Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape, sexual assault in LA case.” Fox News Digital. February 23, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/harvey-weinstein-sentenced-16-years-prison-rape-sexual-assault-la-case
