Weinstein was found guilty of a first-degree criminal sexual act against production assistant Miriam Haley and third-degree rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann. Dozens of women came forward since October 2017 to accuse the once-mighty Hollywood figure of a series of violations including rape. Haley and Mann were sitting in the front row of the courtroom, alongside Tarale Wulff, Dawn Dunning, Lauren Young and Annabella Sciorra. All six of them had provided testimony to the court about Weinstein's violations and assaults.
In his comments before the court, Weinstein stated that he had “deep remorse” and also that he was “totally confused”. He went on to say, “I think men are confused about these issues.” He also spoke of a "lack of due process" and said, “This is not the right atmosphere in the United States of America.”
Weinstein's lawyers had asked for leniency, taking the position that even the minimum sentence of five years could be a "life sentence".
The prosecution for its part argued that he ought to be given the maximum sentence, in view of a "lifetime of abuse" towards women and "lack of remorse" for his misconduct.