Judge brands Weinstein a predator who 'threw it all away' as mogul is sentenced to 15 years for 2006 assault

From the Newshound archive · first published 23 September 2026 · last updated 24 September 2026.

Judge Curtis Farber told a wheelchair-bound Harvey Weinstein he had squandered greatness by assaulting Miriam Haley, before handing the 74-year-old a 15-year prison term followed by five years of supervised release. Haley, a former 'Project Runway' production assistant whom Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting in 2006, told the court the attack "ate away at my self-worth" and amounted to "a life sentence for me." Weinstein told the court he was "not a perfect person" and apologised to anyone he had hurt, yet insisted on his innocence. He is expected to appeal, but will likely remain behind bars well into his eighties.

Prosecutors had pushed for 20 years; Weinstein's lawyers sought nine, warning a long term would mean he dies in prison given his heart failure, kidney disease and blood cancer.

Haley told the court that testifying against Weinstein had been "the worst decision of my life," but said she pressed on for every person who felt scared, tired or shamed into silence.

Weinstein shook his head as he was wheeled from the courtroom; the 15-year sentence ends a six-year legal odyssey that saw his original 2020 conviction overturned before a retrial jury found him guilty again last year.