A Los Angeles trial has just concluded that it’s unlikely Harvey Weinstein will ever be a free man again. On Thursday, February 23rd, the disgraced Hollywood mogul was sentenced to 16 years in jail for three counts of rape and sexual assault. That 16 years gets added to Weinstein’s previous sentence from 2020, in which he was given 23 years by a New York court — Weinstein is currently 70 years old, and will turn 71 in March.
Weinstein’s conviction Thursday was in connection to the 2013 rape and assault of a European model known as Jane Doe #1. However, over 100 women have stepped up in recent years to testify to his behavior as one of the most powerful producers working in film and television. That career ended in the fall of 2017, when explosive exposés in the press revealed Weinstein’s pattern of abuse and assault going back decades.
Thursday’s sentencing is just the latest chapter in this legal drama, though, as Weinstein’s attorneys continue to appeal his previous conviction — the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, granted Weinstein “leave to appeal” in August 2022, which could lead to the court holding up the original verdict or ordering a new trial.
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Should that appeal go in Weinstein’s favor, he would not be the first accused sexual predator to become free after a prior conviction: In 2021, Bill Cosby was released from prison when his conviction was vacated by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
If Weinstein’s convictions do hold up, however, his cumulative sentences mean he would remain in jail until 2059, at which point he would be 107 years old. Maybe his lawyers will be able to sneak him some more Milk Duds at some point.
