On March 11, Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison. This decision was made after a jury found the producer guilty on two of the five counts on February 24 — criminal acts of a sexual nature of the first degree and rape of the third degree.

One of the representatives of the jury in an interview with CBS emphasized that the decision was not affected by external factors (first of all, the #MeToo movement), and the verdict was rendered solely on the basis of the information provided as part of the process.

For these crimes, the producer could spend behind bars from 5 to 29 years. At the same time, Weinstein was not found guilty on three other counts, among which were more serious charges, for which the producer could get a life sentence.

A few days before the verdict was passed, lawyers asked for a minimum term for their client, referring to his professional achievements and a damaged reputation, which, in their opinion, is a punishment in itself.

  • Harvey Weinstein
  • Reuters
  • © Lucas Jackson

In addition, lawyers called on the judge to take into account that, due to health reasons, the producer may not survive even the minimum term in prison. A more serious punishment, in their opinion, could certainly be equated to life imprisonment.

The attention of the media has been riveted to Weinstein since the fall of 2017. Then the newspaper The New York Times published the first material about how, for 30 years - since about the end of the 1980s - a producer allegedly harassed actresses, models and employees of his companies Miramax and Weinstein Company.

Actress Ashley Judd in 2015 said that at the beginning of her career she was harassed by an influential representative of the film industry, but only in 2017 admitted that it was Weinstein.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Cara Delevingne, Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette, Lina Headey, former head of Roskino Ekaterina Mtsituridze and many others joined in the charges. More than 80 women spoke about harassment, some of them about rape.

  • Sketch from the courtroom, February 24, 2020
  • Reuters
  • © Jane Rosenberg

From Weinstein’s personal documents that were made public during the trial, it became known that even before the scandal in 2017, the producer had a list of people who, in his opinion, could discuss his behavior with reporters.

This list contains about 70 people - both men and women. Among them, Annabella Schiorra, who in New York sided with the prosecution, actor Ben Affleck, as well as Rose McGowan, Lysette Anthony and Zelda Perkins. The list included Weinstein Company employees - a senior management representative, Weinstein’s personal assistant and a number of producers.

It also turned out that soon after the publication of the scandalous article by The New York Times, Weinstein turned to Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and other influential representatives of the industry, hoping that their support would help him maintain his career. The answers of these persons are not given in the materials.

The behavior of the producer was condemned by many Hollywood figures, including actors Mark Ruffalo and George Clooney and director Quentin Tarantino. Weinstein did not plead guilty, but at the same time he apologized and promised to "improve."

Soon the producer was fired from his own company, expelled from the American and British academies (which give Oscars and BAFTA awards, respectively), the Guild of Producers of America and some other organizations. Weinstein’s tablet was removed from the Walk of Fame in Deauville, France, and it was also planned to deprive him of the highest French award, the Legion of Honor, in the event of a guilty verdict.

A few days after the publication of the scandalous article, his wife Georgina Chapman announced the intention to divorce Weinstein, and in January 2018 the spouses settled property issues.

Subsequently, Weinstein was able to reach consensus with some of the plaintiffs. So, in December, he concluded a preliminary settlement agreement with more than 30 women, promising to pay them over $ 25 million in total.

  • Harvey Weinstein
  • Reuters
  • © Lucas Jackson

It was planned that at the end of the meeting on February 24, Weinstein would be taken to prison on the island of Rikers. However, after the defendant was taken out of the hall, he felt unwell and was urgently hospitalized in Bellevue Hospital. It is reported that the producer complained of chest pain. Weinstein representatives also said that he suffered from high blood pressure.

In addition, in August 2019, Weinstein had a car accident and underwent spinal surgery in December. It was even supposed that the producer would remain in the hospital until the verdict was announced, but on March 4 he underwent heart surgery and was transferred to the prison hospital the next day.

In the future, Harvey Weinstein will have a trial in a Los Angeles court, where the Italian actress, whose name is currently not disclosed, will act as plaintiffs, as well as the American model and actress Lauren Young. The charge consists of eight points. It is expected that the producer will also appear before the London court.