In 2024, the court overturned those convictions and ordered a new trial.

NEW YORK: Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexual assault, a New York court ruled on Wednesday.

The 74-year-old former movie mogul was convicted last year of committing a first-degree criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley, a former television production assistant, at his Manhattan apartment in 2006. The verdict followed a retrial after his earlier New York convictions were overturned in 2024.

Haley told the court that pursuing the case had taken a significant emotional toll. “I often felt like I was the one on trial,” she said, according to CBS News.

She described the legal process as having sometimes felt like “the worst decision of my life” and accused Weinstein of showing no remorse or “sign of change.”

Weinstein has apologised to people he may have hurt but continues to maintain his innocence. Describing his experience in prison, he said: “You’re treated as an animal – you’re actually less than an animal because you’re treated as nothing,” according to CBS News.

Judge Says Crimes Overshadow Hollywood Legacy

Judge Curtis Farber said Weinstein would be remembered for the films he brought to the screen, but that his legacy would “pale in comparison” to his crimes and his emergence as “the literal face of the #MeToo movement.”

Before allegations against him became public in 2017, Weinstein had produced or helped bring to theatres several prominent Hollywood films, including Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting and Shakespeare in Love.

The allegations against him helped propel the #MeToo movement worldwide, encouraging women to speak publicly about alleged sexual misconduct by powerful figures in entertainment, media, politics and other industries.

Wednesday’s sentencing marked a significant development in the New York legal proceedings against Weinstein, which have stretched across several years.

Previous Convictions and Retrial

Weinstein was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York in 2020 after being convicted of sexually assaulting Haley and actress Jessica Mann.

In 2024, the court overturned those convictions and ordered a new trial.

At the 2025 retrial, Weinstein was again convicted in the case involving Haley but acquitted of a separate charge involving Polish actress Kaja Sokola.

Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on a rape charge involving Mann. Prosecutors later dropped that charge.

Separately, Weinstein received a 16-year prison sentence in California following a 2022 sexual assault conviction.

Weinstein has denied sexually assaulting or raping anyone.