Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 15 years in prison for 2006 sexual
assault
[September 24, 2026]
By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JOHN SEEWER
NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in
prison for sexually assaulting a TV production assistant in 2006,
capping a yearslong legal odyssey that a judge said cemented the
disgraced movie mogul’s reputation as “the literal face of the #MeToo
movement.”
The landmark New York prosecution began nearly a decade ago with
multiple accusers, but after retrials, mistrials, acquittals and
appeals, it was whittled to a single victim: Miriam Haley, who said the
Oscar-winning producer forcibly performed oral sex on her at his
Manhattan apartment. She had worked briefly on the Weinstein-produced
reality series “Project Runway.”
Weinstein, 74, pleaded for mercy, citing his age and health issues,
including cancer and congestive heart failure. He apologized “to anyone
I have affected with my actions” and said he felt remorse for Haley.
However, he added, “I have to reiterate my innocence.” His lawyers said
he will appeal.
Once a towering figure in Hollywood, with such hits as “Shakespeare in
Love,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Chocolat,” Weinstein’s downfall came quickly
after sexual assault allegations in 2017 set off the #MeToo movement.
Several of his dozens of accusers were in court on Wednesday.
Judge Curtis Farber said Weinstein wielded his power as a Hollywood
kingmaker to prey on women looking to break into the industry, treating
them as “mere objects to be played with and discarded with impunity.”
Farber said Weinstein’s refusal to accept responsibility, portraying
himself as a victim during jailhouse interviews, weighed heavily on his
sentencing decision. Weinstein had faced up to 25 years in prison.
Some of Weinstein's accusers attended the sentencing
Haley credited the swell of other accusers, some of whom she hugged
afterward, for giving her the courage to come forward.
For years, she said, “it was like a dark and painful secret that ate
away at my spirit, my enthusiasm and sense of self worth, that it took a
long time to regain.”
Jailed since his original conviction, Weinstein has already served more
than six years behind bars, leaving him with about nine years on his
sentence. But a pending resentencing in Los Angeles, where he was
originally ordered to serve 16 years in prison for a 2013 rape, could
put him away for the rest of his life.
Farber said it'll be his counterpart in California who decides whether
Weinstein can serve his sentences at the same time. If it were up to
him, Farber said, he'd run them consecutively, stacking Weinstein’s New
York punishment on top of his Los Angeles sentence.
Weinstein, seated in a wheelchair, was quickly moved out of the
courtroom after the sentencing. In the gallery, Jessica Mann, a former
aspiring actress whose rape allegations ended in an overturned
conviction and two hung juries, wept profusely as prosecutors, Haley and
other accusers consoled her.
Weinstein and Haley both spoke in court
Haley, 49, fought through tears herself as she spoke in court. After
testifying at two of Weinstein’s trials — the original and last year's
retrial — it was her second time confronting the ex-studio boss at a
sentencing proceeding.
“Having been sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein has had a
devastating effect on my life and sense of security that may never go
away,” Haley said. “Making the decision to speak up will have me looking
over my shoulder for years to come.”
Weinstein hired private investigators to keep tabs on her, she said, and
his defense lawyers and supporters ridiculed her in the media.
“It’s a life sentence for me,” she said.
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Miriam Haley, accompanied by attorney, Gloria Allred, exits
Manhattan Supreme Court after Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 15
years in prison for sexually assaulting Haley in 2006, Wednesday,
Sept. 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Michael Sisak)
 Minutes later, Weinstein apologized
while underscoring his claims of innocence. He maintains that he
never raped or sexually assaulted anyone.
It was also Weinstein’s second time speaking at his sentencing — the
latest in a series of courtroom soliloquies filled with complaints
about his lodging at New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail
complex, boasts about his philanthropy and reminiscence about his
moviemaking prowess.
“Reflecting on all that has happened since 2017 has helped me
recognize how my past conduct has negatively affected others,”
Weinstein said, some of his accusers shaking their heads as he
spoke. “I live with many regrets and sincerely apologize to anyone I
have affected with my actions.”
“I really do have remorse for Miriam Haley,” he added. “I am not a
violent man. I ask for mercy. I promise I will pass it on.”
Haley says Weinstein 'still feels entitled'
Haley said afterward that she was happy with the sentence. But, she
said, it's clear from Weinstein’s remarks that he does not
acknowledge what he did.
“I think he still feels entitled, and that’s part of the problem,”
said Haley, who has also gone by the name Mimi Haleyi.
Other accusers, including psychotherapist and former model Kaja
Sokola, stood with her as she spoke outside the courthouse.
Haley’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, rejected any suggestion that
Weinstein’s sentencing means the #MeToo era is over, telling
reporters: “Women are empowered in a way they have never been
before.”
“Today was about the survivors,” said Manhattan District Attorney
Alvin Bragg, who sat in the courtroom alongside Weinstein’s
accusers.
“I’m moved, as we should all be moved, by their courage and their
steadfastness,” he added.
A retrial, a split verdict and another sentencing
Weinstein was originally sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison —
20 years for assaulting Haley and three years for raping Mann.
New York’s highest court erased those guilty verdicts in 2024,
ruling that Weinstein was prejudiced by testimony from other women
whose allegations weren’t part of the case.
Tried for a second time last year, Weinstein was again convicted of
a first-degree criminal sex act for assaulting Haley. In a messy
split verdict, the jury acquitted him of forcibly performing oral
sex on Sokola and could not reach a verdict on a rape charge
involving Mann.
After another retrial ended in a hung jury in May, Manhattan
prosecutors dropped the rape charge rather than pursue a fourth
trial after Mann said she could not bear to testify again.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they
are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which
Haley, Sokola and Mann have done.
___
Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
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