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Today, the jury in the Harvey Weinstein case turned in their verdict on the disgraced former film producer. After a lengthy trial, numerous witnesses and the “Me Too” movement’s growth, Weinstein has been found guilty on two charges.
The jury found Weinstein guilty of a criminal sex act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. The jury found him not guilty on three other charges. Those, which were predatory sexual assault charges, could have carried even more jail time for Weinstein, 67.
He could still spend the rest of his natural life in prison if he receives the maximum sentence for his crimes.
The jury dealt the man who once seemed untouchable a serious blow. Not to his ego, nor his fortune; he has been dealt a serious blow in a court of law. Weinstein faces up to 29 years in prison for the two counts he was found guilty on. That would mean he would be leaving prison at 96.
Weinstein will, however, face at least five years in prison for the rape verdict. Had he been found guilty of either predatory rape charge, he would have likely served an additional ten years in prison for each count he was found guilty on.
Weinstein’s case is emblematic of a massive shift in the perception of powerful men misusing their privilege. The swiftness with which Weinstein’s star fell became a template for the way that other abusers could be dealt with. The public has lambasted the likes of Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey, R. Kelly and numerous others who have sexually harassed, assaulted or raped young people they had power over.
Victims of such assault now feel more empowered to seek out a lawyer’s advice and bring charges to the powerful men who abused them.
Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo Movement, took a moment Monday to thank the “survivors who courageously testified,” and the jury who “voted to find an unremorseful Harvey Weinstein guilty.”
“Harvey Weinstein operated with impunity and without remorse for decades in Hollywood. Yet, it still took years, and millions of voices raised, for one man to be held accountable by the justice system,” Burke stated Monday.
