Image via Fox News – Seth Wenig
Harvey Weinstein, a convicted sexual predator, has received a 16-year prison extension.
At a Los Angeles court on Thursday, the disgraced movie mogul was sentenced, according to Deadline, roughly two months after he was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting an Italian actress known only as “Jane Doe #1.” Following the L.A. Italia Film Festival in 2013, the lady accusing Weinstein of sexually assaulting her did so at the Mr. C Hotel.
According to Jane Doe, the businessman barged into her hotel room without permission, forced his way inside, and sexually assaulted her. She charged Weinstein with forcible oral copulation, forcible rape, and foreign object sex penetration.
“I maintain my innocence. I don’t know this woman,” Weinstein told the court before Thursday’s sentencing was announced. “This is about money. This is what happens when there is a cottage industry of lawyers. She had every opportunity to report this to police. This is another story and with all due respect, Jane Doe 1 is an actress and can turn her tears on.”
In the LA trial, Weinstein was initially charged with 11 charges; however, four of the charges to Jane Doe #5—were dropped because the state was unable to pursue the claims. The remaining seven counts concerned a few women who claimed Weinstein had molested them between 2004 and 2013. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty on one of the accusations and a verdict of not guilty on three other offenses. Weinstein was found guilty of the other accusations, which were all related to Jane Doe #1.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in jail in New York after being found guilty of identical sex crimes there. NPR reports that because the terms will be performed consecutively, Weinstein will probably be imprisoned for the rest of his life.