He could very well end his life behind bars. Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to another sixteen years in prison on Thursday, Jan. 23, following his second trial, which was held in Los Angeles. He was found guilty of rape and multiple sexual assaults against an Italian model and actress in 2013 at a Beverly Hills hotel.
The court clarified that this sentence should be served following an already ongoing one, for a period of 23 years in prison, which he had received following his conviction in New York in 2020 for similar acts.
As he had hinted before this second verdict fell, the former American manufacturer, now 70, has appealed the decision.
Several weeks of hearing attempts
These are four anonymous plaintiffs who have risen to the stand this time, to recount the horrors inflicted by what is described as a ” almighty ogret”, whose fall in 2017 had allowed a liberation of the word and the birth of the #MeToo movement.
They described forced sex in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles hotels between 2004 and 2013. Meanwhile, the former producer chose the strategy of mercy, trying to beg mercy from the judges: “Please don’t give me a life sentence. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things that are not normal in this case.he said. “I consider myself innocent, I have never raped or sexually assaulted”. His defense also took steps to discredit the testimony of the four plaintiffs, insisting on the absence of forensic evidence to support their stories.
The man who has long played on his status as a powerful man to silence his victims, terrified of losing his career, faced up to 18 years in prison.
Mixed jurors
But the jurors decided otherwise, as explained by our colleagues at Publication :
” In the United States, before sentencing, the court first decides on the guilt of the defendant. Therefore, the December 2022 trial ended in a divided verdict. Jurors found Harvey Weinstein guilty on all charges brought by the European model. Instead, they found him not guilty of those of a second woman, and did not deliver a verdict on the charges brought by the other two. »
Released February 23, 2023
After this criminal conviction of the former producer, the Italian model recognized as the victim filed a complaint in early February in a Los Angeles court, in order to obtain civil damages. Consulted by AFP, this complaint does not specify the amount requested, but highlights the “physical and mental suffering” caused by rape and sexual assault. The Italian actress was not part of the civil agreement which, in 2021, had also awarded 17 million dollars to several dozen women accusing the former Hollywood titan.
90 women accuse Harvey Weinstein
Since 2017, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette, have accused the former American producer of harassment, sexual assault or rape. For most of them, unfortunately, the statute of limitations has expired, some of these cases date back to 1977. The former producer is also accused in the UK of sexual assaults that date back to 1996.
The reactions that welcomed the decision rained down quickly, some even welcomed the fact that the sentence falls on the same day as that of the singer R. Kelly, sentenced to 20 years in prison for child pornography.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
