H*rvey W*instein sentenced to 16 more years in federal prison
Follow up to this post about his Los Angeles trial.
In December, W*instein was found guilty of three charges [sensitive content](rape, sexual penetration by foreign object, and forcible oral copulation) all tied to one victim, Jane Doe 1, a model and actress who testified that he assaulted her in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2013.
Only Jane Doe 1 was allowed to read a victim impact statement before sentencing. Judges can allow other victims to read impact statements before sentencing, as seen in the Larry Nassar trial, and Gloria Allred had requested that the judge allow more victims to speak at the sentencing. Judge Lisa B. Lench denied the request on Thursday, saying, "I'm not going to make this an open forum on Mr. Weinstein's conduct. I don't think it's appropriate for the court to consider those alleged crimes," adding that the other women who testified in the trial are not "germane to the issues" that will be considered at the sentencing. "I heard the trial," she said. "I know the issues." Weinstein's defense objected to allowing more women to provide victim impact statements, arguing that the mere presence of them at the sentencing would quality them as "victims."
Excerpts from Jane Doe 1's victim impact statement:
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to address this court and the defendant. It is extremely difficult for me to stand here, ten years later, as the effects of this rape are still raw and difficult to discuss. I have been carrying this weight, this trauma, this irrational belief that it was my fault for years.
Today the defendant is being sentenced because it was not my fault. What he did was illegal. That it was, in fact, rape.
My rapist probably never thought about me since the night that it happened. But I thought about him every single day.
His selfish, disgusting actions have greatly impacted me and my life. What he did to me was horrible. Before that night, I was a very happy, confident woman. I valued myself and the strong relationship I had with God. I was in control of my life and my career. I was a loving mother and wife, a good friend. I was excited for my future. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. I lost all of this.
Inside, I had fallen apart. I was punishing myself for what he did to me. I felt worthless, humiliated. I thought that I did something wrong because he chose me that night. I must be a bad person if something this awful could happen to me. I no longer felt safe. I distanced myself from the industry I loved. I soon became invisible to myself and to the world. I lost my identity. I thought that no one could or should love me. I was heartbroken, empty, and alone. He had broken me into a million pieces.
I didn’t want to touch my children over how dirty I felt. My kids were often frustrated and cried because they didn’t recognize me anymore.
I wanted to believe that some part of him would feel remorse. During my testimony I saw his eyes and I understood at that moment he was the exact same man that raped me all those years ago. The man who ripped out my soul has no regrets.
There is no prison sentence long enough to erase the damage. I’m still learning everyday how to live with this. I will live with this for the rest of my life. So should he. He deserves to experience the same shame, isolation, fear, and depression that I did. It took me plenty of dark moments to finally realize that I will not allow a monster like him to decide my worth.
I have been silent for a long time. Now I stand here with as much confidence as I can and say that none of us should carry this kind of pain. Victim shaming and victim blaming must be stopped. By coming forward, I raise my voice for all survivors, immigrants, citizens, whether you are powerful, poor, successful, or from any walk of life, for all those people who feel ashamed, who blame themselves, who stay silent, for those who don’t feel strong, for those who are afraid. I hope my story of justice provides some comfort by reminding you that you are not alone.
W*instein said before sentencing: "I maintain that I am innocent. I don’t know this woman. 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. She can turn the tears on. Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things wrong with this case. This is a setup. I beg your mercy."
He faced up to 24 years for the three latest convictions. Legal experts had predicted he would be sentenced to 18 years. His attorneys asked that he serve his new sentence concurrently with his ongoing 23 year sentence, saying he is a 70 year old man in poor health, but the judge said that he will serve his two sentences consecutively. He has served two years of a 23 year prison sentence for his 2020 New York rape conviction. For federal convictions, prisoners must serve 85% of their sentences. He is eligible for parole in New York in 2039.
source
In December, W*instein was found guilty of three charges [sensitive content](rape, sexual penetration by foreign object, and forcible oral copulation) all tied to one victim, Jane Doe 1, a model and actress who testified that he assaulted her in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2013.
Only Jane Doe 1 was allowed to read a victim impact statement before sentencing. Judges can allow other victims to read impact statements before sentencing, as seen in the Larry Nassar trial, and Gloria Allred had requested that the judge allow more victims to speak at the sentencing. Judge Lisa B. Lench denied the request on Thursday, saying, "I'm not going to make this an open forum on Mr. Weinstein's conduct. I don't think it's appropriate for the court to consider those alleged crimes," adding that the other women who testified in the trial are not "germane to the issues" that will be considered at the sentencing. "I heard the trial," she said. "I know the issues." Weinstein's defense objected to allowing more women to provide victim impact statements, arguing that the mere presence of them at the sentencing would quality them as "victims."
Excerpts from Jane Doe 1's victim impact statement:
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to address this court and the defendant. It is extremely difficult for me to stand here, ten years later, as the effects of this rape are still raw and difficult to discuss. I have been carrying this weight, this trauma, this irrational belief that it was my fault for years.
Today the defendant is being sentenced because it was not my fault. What he did was illegal. That it was, in fact, rape.
My rapist probably never thought about me since the night that it happened. But I thought about him every single day.
His selfish, disgusting actions have greatly impacted me and my life. What he did to me was horrible. Before that night, I was a very happy, confident woman. I valued myself and the strong relationship I had with God. I was in control of my life and my career. I was a loving mother and wife, a good friend. I was excited for my future. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. I lost all of this.
Inside, I had fallen apart. I was punishing myself for what he did to me. I felt worthless, humiliated. I thought that I did something wrong because he chose me that night. I must be a bad person if something this awful could happen to me. I no longer felt safe. I distanced myself from the industry I loved. I soon became invisible to myself and to the world. I lost my identity. I thought that no one could or should love me. I was heartbroken, empty, and alone. He had broken me into a million pieces.
I didn’t want to touch my children over how dirty I felt. My kids were often frustrated and cried because they didn’t recognize me anymore.
I wanted to believe that some part of him would feel remorse. During my testimony I saw his eyes and I understood at that moment he was the exact same man that raped me all those years ago. The man who ripped out my soul has no regrets.
There is no prison sentence long enough to erase the damage. I’m still learning everyday how to live with this. I will live with this for the rest of my life. So should he. He deserves to experience the same shame, isolation, fear, and depression that I did. It took me plenty of dark moments to finally realize that I will not allow a monster like him to decide my worth.
I have been silent for a long time. Now I stand here with as much confidence as I can and say that none of us should carry this kind of pain. Victim shaming and victim blaming must be stopped. By coming forward, I raise my voice for all survivors, immigrants, citizens, whether you are powerful, poor, successful, or from any walk of life, for all those people who feel ashamed, who blame themselves, who stay silent, for those who don’t feel strong, for those who are afraid. I hope my story of justice provides some comfort by reminding you that you are not alone.
W*instein said before sentencing: "I maintain that I am innocent. I don’t know this woman. 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. She can turn the tears on. Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things wrong with this case. This is a setup. I beg your mercy."
He faced up to 24 years for the three latest convictions. Legal experts had predicted he would be sentenced to 18 years. His attorneys asked that he serve his new sentence concurrently with his ongoing 23 year sentence, saying he is a 70 year old man in poor health, but the judge said that he will serve his two sentences consecutively. He has served two years of a 23 year prison sentence for his 2020 New York rape conviction. For federal convictions, prisoners must serve 85% of their sentences. He is eligible for parole in New York in 2039.
source