Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape, sexual assault

New York – Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a judge in a Manhattan court on Wednesday following his recent rape and sexual assault conviction.
The disgraced Hollywood mogul could have faced a minimum sentence of five and a maximum sentence of 29 years behind bars.

Judge James Burke, who presided over the trial, heard statements from Weinstein and the two women he was convicted of assaulting before handing out the sentence.

A jury found the once-powerful producer guilty on February 24 of a criminal sexual act for forcing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and of the third-degree rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.

The verdict was celebrated as a turning point by the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment that Weinstein’s crimes had helped spread. (dpa/NAN)