Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein pleaded for leniency moments before he was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison for rape in a Los Angeles court.
He was convicted in February 2013 of assaulting an actress in a hotel room during a film festival in the city.
“Please don’t give me a life sentence,” the disgraced Hollywood star told the court. “I don’t deserve this.”
By the late 1970s, more than 80 people had made allegations of rape and indecency against Weinstein.
The 70-year-old is already serving a 23-year sentence in New York for a separate crime.
Before his sentencing Thursday, Weinstein maintained that he was innocent and the victim of a “setup.”
On December 19, a Los Angeles jury convicted him of one count of rape and two counts of sexually assaulting an actress.
The victim, who has not been identified as Jane Doe 1, spoke in court before the sentencing.
He described the trauma he had endured for “many years” since the attack.
“Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman,” he said.
“Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. A prison sentence is not long enough to undo the damage.”
Weinstein, meanwhile, told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lynch that he did not know the victim.
“I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1,” he said.
He told the court that there were “many things wrong” and many “flaws” in the case.
Weinstein called his accuser “an actress with the ability to control her tears.”
His lawyers – who had asked for a three-year sentence for Weinstein – asked the judge to take into account his deteriorating health, his children and his “generous” donations to charities.
Weinstein remained seated for most of the courtroom and did not react when the sentence was read, which came after the judge denied a motion for a new trial by defense attorneys.
He was acquitted during the same Los Angeles trial of sexual battery against another accuser.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three other sexual assault counts, including one against Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. A trial was announced.
He is expected to appeal the sentence.
The Oscar-winning film producer was facing up to 18 years in prison in the Los Angeles case.
He avoided a 24-year sentence after the jury couldn’t agree on whether Weinstein planned the rape or whether the victim was “particularly vulnerable.”
In 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting a production assistant in 2006 and an aspiring actress in 2013. He has appealed.
The conviction was seen as a milestone in the #MeToo movement, which highlighted sexual harassment and harassment in the film and television industry.
