Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Los Angeles Rape Case

2024-12-25 09:39:18 source:lotradecoin terms category:Stocks

Content warning: This story discusses sexual assault.

Harvey Weinstein's fate has been decided.

On Feb. 23, the disgraced producer has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for one count of forcible rape and two counts of sexual assault.

Weinstein's sentencing comes weeks after a Los Angeles jury found him guilty of the charges, while not guilty on one count of sexual battery by restraint. In addition, the jury was hung on three other sexual assault counts.

Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to all seven charges, which involve four women, included two counts of forcible rape, one additional count each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object and two counts of sexual battery by restraint, according to NBC Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles sexual assault trial is not the only one Weinstein has faced as of recent years.

The 70-year-old was found guilty of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual act in the first degree in February 2020 in a separate New York City trial. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison, which he has been currently serving.

During his stay behind bars, the producer has maintained that his constitutional right to receive a fair trial with an impartial jury was not fulfilled. 

More recently, Weinstein has made progress in his quest to overturn the 2020 trial's results. In August, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore of the New York State Court of Appeals granted Weinstein a leave to appeal the case, according to an order obtained by E! News.

After arguments from both sides are presented, the court will then decide to maintain his current conviction or reverse the previous ruling, vacate or modify his convicted charges and call for a new trial. 

In response to getting his leave granted, Weinstein noted that he looks "forward" to being heard by the New York Court of Appeals.

"I am innocent of these charges, and I am so grateful to my attorneys for working hard and smart of this," Weinstein said in a statement to E! News at the time. "Their hard work will help me prove my innocence in the end."

Despite Weinstein's outlook, attorney Doug Wigdor, who represented Weinstein's accusers in court, feels the previous ruling will remain.

"Weinstein is a desperate man but we are confident that New York's highest court will ultimately reject his appeal," Wigdor told E! News, "and affirm the appeal court's well-reasoned decision affirming the trial court's conviction and sentence."

A court spokesperson told NBC News at the time that oral arguments are anticipated to begin in 2023.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

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