Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 15 years for 2006 sex assault

Weinstein, who was at the center of abuse allegations that spurred the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, was resentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting one-time TV production assistant Miriam Haley.

In 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years for assaulting Haley but his conviction was overturned on appeal in 2024. A jury found him guilty again in 2025 after a retrial in New York.

Haley gave her account of the assault at two trials and spoke again in court Wednesday just before Weinstein was to be sentenced.

“Having been sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein has had a devastating effect on my life and sense of security that may never go away. Making the decision to speak up will have me looking over my shoulder for years to come,” Haley said. “It's a life sentence for me.”

“I've been further traumatised in exercising my right to hold him accountable. All of this traces back to his actions,” she said, adding that she thought about ending her pursuit of justice many times.

Abusive behaviour

Weinstein, who is currently jailed in New York, once ruled Hollywood as a kingpin powerful enough to make or break projects and careers.

But investigations by The New Yorker and The New York Times exposed a raft of abusive behavior and prompted an avalanche of allegations from more than 80 people.

Weinstein is also to be resentenced in California for the 2013 rape and assault of an actress in a Los Angeles hotel room, after an appeals court in June upheld the conviction but vacated his 16-year prison term.

Meanwhile, a New York judge in May declared a mistrial in a separate case after jurors failed to reach a verdict on allegations he sexually assaulted actor Jessica Mann.

It was the third time Mann had taken the stand against Weinstein after a 2020 guilty verdict was overturned due to mishandling of witnesses, and a 2025 case ended in mistrial after a jury-room feud. Prosecutors later said they would not pursue a fourth trial in Mann's case.

Weinstein, who is wheelchair-bound due to health issues, has continued to deny all allegations against him.

He underwent a spectacular fall from his position astride the world of show business when the first allegations against him exploded into public view.

The ensuing furor snowballed into the global MeToo movement and a reckoning that rocked the world of entertainment, with multiple men called to account for abusing their positions to exploit young women in the industry.

(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)