Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 15 years in New York sexual assault case

Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul, was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday morning for a criminal sexual assault conviction from 2025.

Weinstein, 74, was found guilty of committing a sexual act against former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley at his Manhattan apartment in 2006.

Haley and Weinstein both spoke in a court in Lower Manhattan during Wednesday’s sentencing. Haley talked about the devastating impact the assault and subsequent trial has had on her life. Weinstein, for his part, expressed remorse for what happened to Haley, and offered an apology to people he has hurt. He went on to say he was innocent. 

A jury convicted him in 2020 on that and another rape charge relating to an accusation by actress Jessica Mann. He was sentenced to 23 years, but it was overturned by the State of New York Court of Appeals in April 2024.

A new jury convicted Weinstein again in Haley’s case in 2025.

Prosecutors say Weinstein “has never shown an ounce of remorse”

Weinstein was wheeled into the courtroom wearing a suit. 

Prosecutors addressed the court before sentencing, thanking Haley for her “strength, bravery, tenacity and patience.” 

Prosecutors told the court Weinstein “has never shown an ounce of remorse and refuses to accept responsibility for this crime.” 

Prosecutors claimed that Weinstein targeted Haley with online harassment and victim blaming. 

They asked the court to sentence him to 20 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision, saying his actions pose a “significant threat to society,” and that deterrence is needed to send a message to prevent other powerful figures from abusing their authority. 

Prosecutors called a 2025 podcast interview with Weinstein a tour de force of victimhood, deflection and conspiracy, and again said he has been remorseless. Prosecutors said Weinstein continues to cast blame on everyone but himself. 

Miriam Haley addresses the court

After prosecutors concluded their presentation, Haley then delivered her victim impact statement. 

“Your Honor, I appreciate this opportunity to speak,” she said. 

She said it is the second time she’s giving a victim impact statement, adding she didn’t think she’d be doing this again six years after Weinstein’s initial conviction and 20 years after the assault took place. 

Haley said Weinstein abused his position and power, and the attack impacted her confidence professionally and personally. 

She said she thought after the attack she had to just “suck it up and cope,” adding her coping mechanism was to brush it off. She said it remained a dark, painful secret that ate away at her spirit. She said she had been diagnosed with PTSD. 

Haley became emotional and said when other women started speaking out, she felt there was an opening to share her story. 

Haley said her decision to testify was not easy. 

“Often felt like I was the one on trial,” she said.

Haley said she’s had to relive the attack and the events around it, including describing it to a grand jury repeatedly, the district attorney’s office, and withstanding what she called belittling and humiliating cross-examination. She talked about being harassed online, and said she was ridiculed by Weinstein’s legal team and tracked by private investigators. 

She said that her decision to move forward with the case has felt like “the worst decision of my life” and that she considered pulling out repeatedly, but felt she had to keep going. 

Haley said she’ll be looking over her shoulder for years to come, worried about whatever Weinstein may be plotting. She said he’s shown no remorse and “no sign of change.”

“I think he still feels entitled, and that’s part of the problem,” she said.

Weinstein’s defense attorneys speak

Weinstein’s defense attorney Marc Agnifilo began his remarks by thanking Haley for appearing and said he hopes she feels welcome in the courtroom. 

Agnifilo said the cases are “incredibly nuanced, detailed, specific.” At the end of the day, however, the curtain must be closed on the investigation into Weinstein, Agnifilo said, noting Weinstein has been convicted in two cases in California – not dozens, not scores of victims – two cases in California that will be dealt with by the judge in that case. 

Agnifilo said it’s necessary to separate what this trial has been about and what happened in other cases. 

Jacob Kaplan, another defense attorney, pointed to Weinstein’s declining health and advancing age, saying there’s no doubt he’s a very sick man. Kaplan went on to list a variety of ailments Weinstein is coping with, saying he takes more than 20 medications a day and has been hospitalized six times since 2025. 

Kaplan said he’s not arguing Weinstein shouldn’t serve any jail time, adding he’s already spent six and a half years in jail, but asked the court to impose a nine-year sentence. The longer the sentence, the more likely Weinstein will die in jail, Kaplan said. 

Kaplan said he’s not asking for a slap on the wrist. He said 269 inmates in New York are serving less than nine years on first-degree rape charges. 

Kaplan said a nine-year sentence will punish Weinstein while also not losing sight that the court is sentencing a 74-year-old sick man. 

Weinstein addresses the court

Weinstein then addressed the court.   

He started by saying he is not a perfect person and is a person who has made mistakes. Reflecting on all that has happened since 2017 has helped him recognize how his past conduct has negatively affected others, Weinstein said, adding he “sincerely apologize[s] to others” he may have hurt with his actions. 

He then went on to reiterate his innocence. He said he’s been “treated as an animal. You’re actually less than an animal,” having been shut off from companionship, sunlight and taking showers, with no way to stabilize himself in freezing water. 

Weinstein went on to describe his work in philanthropy, calling them pillars of his life and work, adding he wants to add prisoners’ rights to his philanthropic efforts going forward. 

He said he was a perfectionist and listed some of the notable movies he had been involved with, including “Pulp Fiction,” “Chicago,” “The Artist” and “The King’s Speech.” 

He said he wanted to devote his remaining years to his family. 

Weinstein read a letter from his daughter to the judge. The letter stated she had been subject to bullying at school because of her father. She wrote she was 8 when her dad went to jail. 

“The sound of my children’s laughter is what gets me through these days,” Weinstein said, adding he hopes he will get to embrace them outside of jail in the future. 

“I really do have remorse for Miriam Haley,” he said in court, adding he’s not a violent man, and asked the court for mercy. 

Judge delivers sentence

After a brief recess, the judge then spoke. 

He said Weinstein was on top of the movie industry. The judge said Weinstein will be remembered for his many wonderful films, but that “will pale in comparison for what you did, for what you became – a sexual predator, the literal face of the #MeToo movement.” 

The judge said Weinstein lured Haley with the promise of an industry job, and said for many years Weinstein has never accepted responsibility. The judge said that even recently Weinstein gave interviews saying money-hungry women came after him. 

Although he no longer poses a physical threat, he’s still a sexual predator, the judge said. 

The judge said his legacy could have been cemented as one of greatness, but instead he threw it all away by sexually assaulting Haley. 

The judge then sentenced Weinstein to 15 years in prison with five years post-release supervision. He’ll have to register as a sex offender.

Other Weinstein accusers who previously testified showed up to support Haley.  

“Today was about the survivors. Ms. Haley, her remarks were powerful, moving, and eloquent. I thank her first and foremost, and all of the survivors who came to lend their support. I’m moved, as we should all be moved, by their courage and their steadfastness through what has obviously been a challenging process,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said after the sentencing.

Trial background

At a trial earlier this year, a New York jury became deadlocked and couldn’t reach a verdict on whether Weinstein raped Mann. Prosecutors dropped the rape charge instead of trying him for a fourth time.

Weinstein has already served more than six years in prison and is now facing up to 25 years for this conviction. He was accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, sparking the #MeToo Movement. The allegations have been ongoing for years and have spanned multiple states. 

In California, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault, including rape, by a Los Angeles jury in 2022. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison on those charges. 

Weinstein has denied sexually assaulting or raping anyone. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges he has faced.