Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison in Los Angeles, on top of a 23-year sentence handed down in Manhattan in March 2020 for other rape and sexual harassment cases.
The former cinema titan will serve this sentence in Los Angeles after serving the one in New York, which he is currently appealing. Weinstein, who will turn 71 on March 19, will only be able to apply for parole in New York in 2039, when he will be 86 years old. Which means he will most likely never see the outside of a prison again for the rest of his life.
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to eight years on the first count, six on the second and two on the third. Judge Lisa B. Lench said:
These are not easy decisions to make, but this is my decision.
The victim, identified only as Jane Doe #1 during the trial, and now revealed as Siberian former model Evgeniya Chernyshova , told the court that Weinsten had “broken her into a million pieces”. Thanking the jury for the verdict, she added:
Ten years later, the effects of this rape are still stark and hard to discuss. Your Honor, I hope you can understand my suffering. There is no sentence long enough to undo the damage. I hope he gives him the highest judgment available.
For his part, Weinstein commented:
I continue to assert my innocence. I have never raped or sexually harassed Jane Doe #1. I’ve never met this woman, and the thing is, she doesn’t know me. All of this is just for the money.
Please don’t sentence me to life imprisonment. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things wrong with this case.