Weinstein faces sentencing, prison in landmark #MeToo case

final act of Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial in New York begins Wednesday, when once-powerful film producer will be sentenced following his landmark #MeToo conviction. Weinstein is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in New York City. He faces up to 29 years behind bars for raping an aspiring actress in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006. A second criminal case is pending in California.

Both women that Weinstein was convicted of assaulting are expected to be in court to give victim impact statements before he is sentenced. Weinstein will also have a chance to speak. He opted t to testify at his trial, but at sentencing he won’t have to worry about getting grilled by prosecutors.

Or women who’ve accused Weinstein — including some who testified at his trial — are t permitted to speak at his sentencing under state law. One of those witnesses, Tarale Wulff, who accused Weinstein of raping her in 2005, said in a statement Tuesday that she will still attend and hopes that sentence “sends a clear mess that times have changed.”

Weinstein was convicted on two counts: criminal sex act for 2006 assault on production assistant and rape in third degree for a 2013 attack on ar woman. On criminal sex act count, he faced a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 25 years in prison, while third-degree rape count carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.

Weinstein was acquitted of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault stemming from actress Annabella Sciorra’s allegations of a mid-1990s rape. Weinstein maintains his incence and contends that any sexual activity was consensual.

Newly unsealed documents show 67-year-old former film producer sought help from billionaires Jeff Bezos and Michael Bloomberg as sexual misconduct allegations against him piled up in October 2017, and that he considered issuing a statement at time claiming that he was suicidal. re is evidence to suggest eir man responded.

New York case was first criminal matter against Weinstein to arise from accusations of more than 90 women, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Uma Thurman. Many of Weinstein’s accusers say he used his Hollywood prestige to befriend m, dangling movie roles to gain ir trust.

Weinstein’s lawyers are seeking minimum sentence of five years in prison because of his and frail health.

Weinstein, who turns 68 next week, used a walker throughout trial following recent back surgeries. After his Feb. 24 conviction, he split time between a hospital and a jail infirmary unit, and h a stent inserted last week to unblock an artery.

“Given his and specific medical risk factors, any ditional term of imprisonment above mandatory minimum — although grave reality is that Mr. Weinstein may t even outlive that term — is likely to constitute a de facto life sentence,” Weinstein’s lawyers wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed Monday.

Once Weinstein is sentenced, he’ll be transferred from city’s jail system to state prison system. ncy that runs New York’s state prisons said every inmate is evaluated to determine which facility meets his or her security, medical, mental health and or needs.

Martin Horn, city’s former corrections commissioner, said Weinstein’s celebrity status could make him a target for ar inmate looking to make a name for himself, while gravity of his convictions and sentence could raise suicide concerns.

“ jail wants to have next Jeffrey Epstein,” said Horn, who w teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “y’re going to make sure that thing happens to him while he’s in ir custody. t because he’s important, but just from a public relations point of view, it would be awfully embarrassing.”

Prosecutors did t ask for a specific number of years in prison in ir sentencing memorandum, but said that Weinstein deserves severe punishment to account for allegations dating to 1970s that didn’t le to criminal charges.

In ir letter, prosecutors outlined 16 examples y said showed Weinstein “trapped women into his exclusive control” so he could sexually assault m, starting when he was working as a music producer in Buffalo in 1978.

Fordham University law professor Cheryl Ber said she expects Judge James Burke to impose a harsh sentence.

“One of underlying principles of law of punishment is promoting general deterrence,” Ber said. “I think Judge Burke will want to send a mess to ‘would be’ sexual predators that hammer of law will come down hard on you if you use your power — physical and orwise — to manipulate and sexual abuse victims.”

Just as jury selection was about to get under way in New York case in January, authorities in California anunced y were also bringing criminal charges against Weinstein.

Weinstein was charged in California with raping a woman at a Los Angeles hotel on Feb. 18, 2013, after pushing his way inside her room, n sexually assaulting a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel suite next night.