Convicted sexual predator Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 16 years more years in prison.
According to Deadline, the disgraced movie mogul received the sentencing in a Los Angeles court on Thursday, about two months after he was convicted of raping and sexual assaulting an Italian actress identified as “Jane Doe #1.” The woman accused Weinstein had raped her in 2013 at the Mr. C Hotel following the L.A. Italia Film Festival.
Jane Doe claimed the mogul had appeared at her hotel room uninvited and bullied his way inside and sexually assaulted her. She accused Weinstein of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by a foreign object.
“I maintain my innocence. I don’t know this woman,” Weinstein told the court before Thursday’s sentencing was announced. “This is about money. This is what happens when there is a cottage industry of lawyers. She had every opportunity to report this to police. This is another story and with all due respect, Jane Doe 1 is an actress and can turn her tears on.”
Weinstein originally faced 11 charges in the LA trial; however, four of those charges—related to Jane Doe #5—were dismissed because the state could not proceed with the allegations. The seven remaining charges involved a handful of women who accused Weinstein of sexually abusing them between 2004 and 2013. The jury found the defendant not guilty on one of the charges, and failed to make a decision on three others. The remaining charges, of which Weinstein was found guilty, were all related to Jane Doe #1.
The sentencing came amid Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence in New York, where he was convicted of similar sex crimes. According to NPR, the sentences will be served consecutively, meaning Weinstein will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Weinstein’s team had filed a request for a new LA trial and jury; however, a judge denied the request Thursday.
