Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 16 More Years in Prison

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • On top of his current 23-year sentence for sexual assault, former Hollywood film tycoon Harvey Weinstein, 70, was sentenced on Thursday to an additional 16 years after being found guilty of the 2013 rape of an actress in Los Angeles.1
  • This follows Weinstein's conviction in December on three sexual battery charges related to the actress, referred to as Jane Doe 1. The trial also included accusations from three other women, though he was acquitted on one, and the jury was hung for the other two, most notably Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.2
  • Prior to the sentencing, prosecutors argued Weinstein should receive 24 years in jail because of his prior conviction rather than a 'mid-term' sentence that California allows, absent additional 'aggravating' factors.3
  • Meanwhile, Weinstein's team asked for a lesser sentence due to his 'advanced age and deteriorating health.'3
  • Weinstein, the founder of Miramax and Weinstein Co., was first sentenced to 23 years in New York after being found guilty of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act in 2020. That trial stemmed from 2017 accusations that set off the #MeToo movement.4
  • Weinstein has been publicly accused of rape, sexual assault, or sexual harassment by more than 90 women in incidents stretching back decades. Legal uncertainties remain as he is appealing his New York conviction, for which his sentence must be served before his California sentence.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2FOX News, 3Daily Mail, 4Wall Street Journal and 5Guardian.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Los angeles times. Today's sentencing — which will see Weinstein spend the rest of his life in prison — has brought at least some justice to the woman he assaulted a decade ago. Nothing can take back what he did to her, but this is certainly a win in the fight to bring even the most powerful men to account.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Townhall. The Weinstein saga is a microcosm of the larger rot growing in America's elitist progressive society. Those who lecture about sexism, climate change, or guns are the same people who cozied up with Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein at parties. The segment of society claiming to fight these people are the ones who continue to prop them up until news headlines make it too big to ignore.