Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexual assault of production assistant in 2006

Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.

The 74-year-old former film mogul was handed the sentence in New York today (September 23), following his conviction last year for forcing oral sex on Haley at his Manhattan apartment.

According to Bloomberg Law, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had sought a 20-year sentence, while Weinstein’s lawyers had asked for nine years. Weinstein has indicated that he intends to appeal both his conviction and sentence.

“You had it all,” Judge Curtis Farber told him during sentencing. “But you threw it all away.”

Farber said that while Weinstein would be remembered for the films he produced, those achievements paled in comparison to “what you became, a sexual predator, the literal face of the #MeToo movement”.

He added that Weinstein had “never accepted responsibility” and shown a “lack of remorse”, telling him: “To this day, you have yet to achieve the self-reflection necessary for change.”

Before he was sentenced, Weinstein told the court: “I’m not a perfect person,” and said he “sincerely” apologised to anyone he may have hurt and had “remorse for Miriam Haley’s pain”.

He added: “I have to reiterate my innocence.” He asked Farber for mercy so that he could spend the remainder of his life with his children.

Haley also addressed the court and said the assault “ate away at my self-worth”.

She described giving evidence against Weinstein as “the worst decision of my life” because of the toll the process had taken, adding: “I considered pulling out so many times. But for every person who gets scared, tired, intimidated, or shamed, I knew those were the reasons I had to keep going.”

The sentence follows a lengthy series of appeals and retrials in New York. Weinstein was initially found guilty in 2020 of sexually assaulting Haley and raping Jessica Mann, receiving a 23-year prison sentence.

However, the New York Court of Appeals overturned that conviction in 2024, ruling that the original trial judge had improperly allowed women to testify about allegations that were not part of the charges before the jury.

At his 2025 retrial, Weinstein was again convicted of sexually assaulting Haley. Jurors acquitted him of a separate sexual assault charge involving Kaja Sokola, but were unable to reach a verdict on the allegation that he raped Mann.

The Mann charge was tried once again earlier this year, but ended with another hung jury in May. Prosecutors dropped the charge the following month after Mann said she could not go through another trial.

Weinstein was also convicted of rape and sexual assault in California in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

That conviction remains in place, but a California appeals court vacated the 16-year sentence in June this year and ordered a new sentencing hearing after finding that the trial judge had relied on Weinstein’s since-overturned New York convictions as an aggravating factor.

Weinstein has remained continuously in custody since his first New York conviction in 2020. When that conviction was overturned in 2024, he was not released because his separate California conviction and sentence remained in force. After the California sentence was vacated this June, his 2025 New York conviction remained outstanding while he awaited today’s sentencing.

He will therefore remain imprisoned under the new 15-year New York sentence while awaiting resentencing in California. Farber said it was his intention that the New York term run consecutively to whatever sentence Weinstein ultimately receives there, although California will have the final say on how the two sentences are served.

More than 80 women have accused the former Miramax boss of sexual misconduct since allegations against him became public in 2017, helping to galvanise the #MeToo movement. Weinstein has consistently denied rape and sexual assault and maintained that sexual encounters were consensual.

Earlier this year, he gave his first interview in six years from Rikers Island, describing prison as “Hell” and again denying sexually assaulting any women.

“Did I make a pass at some of these women unsuccessfully? Did I overplay my hand? Yes,” he said. “Was I pushy or overly seductive? Yes to all of that.”

He continued: “But did I ever sexually assault a woman? No. I never did that.”

Rosanna Arquette subsequently rejected claims Weinstein made about her in the interview, after he accused her and other actors of having “exaggerated” their allegations against him.

Last December, Judi Dench was criticised after saying Weinstein had “done his time”. The actor, who worked on a number of Weinstein-backed films, said she had personally had “none of that experience” with him.

Weinstein was also mentioned alongside Jay-Z and Pusha T in a batch of Jeffrey Epstein-related files released by the US Justice Department in February. The reference came from an unverified tip submitted to the FBI and was not from Epstein’s personal records or a law enforcement finding. Being named in the documents was not evidence of wrongdoing, and the Justice Department warned that the release included material submitted by members of the public that could be false.

For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.