Weinstein handed 15-year prison sentence in New York sexual assault case

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday in Manhattan to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual assault in a high-profile retrial.

A New York judge handed down the sentence more than a year after the Hollywood producer was convicted for sexually assaulting former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley.

Weinstein, 74, pleaded not guilty after receiving a charge of first-degree criminal sexual act after Haley accused him of sexually assaulting her at his Manhattan apartment in 2006.

Haley delivered a victim impact statement read aloud in the courtroom, where she said Weinstein “abused his position and power” and that she had been “further traumatized” in her pursuit of justice.

“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.”

Weinstein, who appeared in the downtown Manhattan courtroom in a wheelchair, also addressed the court, denying the allegations but apologizing to those he may have hurt.

“I am not a perfect person,” he said. “But I am a person who has made mistakes.”

Judge Curtis Farber said the disgraced mogul will now be known as a “sexual predator, the literal face of the MeToo movement,” overshadowing his accomplishments in the movie industry.

“You took what you wanted by force, and you have never accepted responsibility,” Farber told Weinstein.

Weinstein’s 15-year sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release and will require him to register as a sex offender.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg praised Haley following the sentencing.

“Today was about the survivors,” Bragg said in a statement. “Ms. Haley, her remarks were powerful, moving and eloquent.”

Weinstein was initially convicted in New York in 2020 of sexually assaulting Haley and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

His conviction was overturned by New York’s highest court in 2024, finding that the trial judge improperly allowed testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the charges against Weinstein.

Prosecutors retried Weinstein last year, and a jury again found him guilty in June 2025 of sexually assaulting Haley. The jury acquitted him of a separate criminal sex act charge involving former model Kaja Sokola and could not reach a verdict on the third-degree rape charge involving Mann.

Weinstein has already spent more than six years behind bars. His attorneys had sought a shorter sentence, citing his declining health and arguing that a lengthy prison term would likely mean he will die behind bars.