On Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench sentenced convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison.
The sentence Weinstein earned stems from a trial that took place in December 2022. The disgraced executive was found guilty of sexual penetration by a foreign object, rape and forcible oral copulation. Weinstein was acquitted of one charge and a jury could not come to a unanimous decision regarding the other three charges levied against him.
Weinstein was present and addressed the court on Thursday. The disgraced executive repeatedly claimed that he was innocent of the charges he was convicted of just two months ago.
“I maintain that I’m innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1. I never knew this woman, and the fact is she doesn’t know me. This is about money,” he said.
“Please don’t sentence me to life in prison…I don’t deserve it.”
The victims of the crimes that Weinstein has been convicted of also issued statements prior to his sentencing. A model and actress, known to the court as Jane Done 1, said that Weinstein’s crimes altered her confidence, happiness and relationship with God.
“Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman. I valued myself and the relationship I had with God. I was excited about my future,” a statement from Jane Doe 1 reads.
“Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me.”
The 16-year prison sentence handed to Weinstein will be added to the 23-year sentence he is currently serving in New York. At 70 years old, it is likely a life sentence for the convicted rapist.
