Harvey Weinstein gets 15 years as California resentencing awaits

Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday, September 23, 2026, to 15 years in prison by a New York judge for a first-degree criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley. The sentence follows a June 2025 retrial verdict and marks the latest major step in a New York case that has run for more than six years.

Weinstein, the former head of Miramax, appeared in the downtown Manhattan courtroom in a wheelchair with his hands cuffed to his seat. His next legal proceeding will be in California, where he faces resentencing for raping and sexually assaulting Italian model and actor Evgeniya Chernyshova at a Los Angeles hotel in 2013.

• New York sentence: 15 years in prison.
• Conviction: First-degree criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley.
• Retrial verdict: Weinstein was found guilty in June 2025.
• Original case: He was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in 2020.
• 2024 ruling: New York's highest court erased that conviction and ordered a new trial.
• Next proceeding: Resentencing in California.

Harvey Weinstein sentenced after a six-year New York legal timeline

Wednesday's sentencing is the latest turn in a prosecution that has moved through an original conviction, a 23-year sentence, a successful challenge before New York's highest court and a second trial. The New York Times, NBC News and ABC News were among the outlets reporting on the sentencing.

Weinstein was first convicted in 2020 and received a 23-year prison sentence. Four years later, New York's highest court erased that conviction and ordered a new trial, ruling that he had been prejudiced by testimony from other women whose allegations were not part of the case.

That decision returned the case to trial rather than ending the prosecution. At the retrial in June 2025, Weinstein was found guilty of a first-degree criminal sexual act against Haley, a former production assistant on Project Runway.

Haley testified that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at his New York City apartment in 2006. It is that conviction from the 2025 retrial that led to the 15-year sentence imposed Wednesday.

What Miriam Haley told the court before Weinstein's sentence

Haley's victim impact statement was read aloud in court before the sentencing. She said Weinstein “abused his position and power” and described a “devastating effect on my life and security”.

Her allegation has remained central to the New York proceedings across the long legal timeline. The conviction now being punished stems specifically from the first-degree criminal sexual act involving Haley rather than from the other allegations that became part of the dispute over Weinstein's original trial.

That distinction was central to the 2024 decision by New York's highest court. The court ruled that testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the case had prejudiced Weinstein, leading it to erase his original conviction and order another trial.

Variety and Deadline also reported on Wednesday's sentencing, which came after prosecutors and the defense presented sharply different positions on the appropriate punishment.

Why prosecutors sought 20 years and the defense asked for less

Prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence for Weinstein. The defense argued for substantially less and cited the time he had already served during the years of legal proceedings.

The judge ultimately imposed a 15-year term. Weinstein offered a limited apology in court while continuing to deny the specific allegations against him.

His courtroom appearance reflected the circumstances of Wednesday's hearing: Weinstein was in a wheelchair, and his hands were cuffed to his seat. Bloomberg and The Guardian were also among the outlets covering the latest development.

The new sentence differs from the 23-year term Weinstein received after his first conviction in 2020. That earlier result was later erased, making the June 2025 retrial verdict the basis for Wednesday's punishment.

Harvey Weinstein case timeline from 2020 to 2026

Date	Legal development
2020	Weinstein was first convicted in New York and sentenced to 23 years.
2024	New York's highest court erased the conviction and ordered a new trial because of prejudicial testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the case.
June 2025	A retrial jury found Weinstein guilty of a first-degree criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley.
September 23, 2026	A New York judge sentenced Weinstein to 15 years in prison.
Next	Weinstein faces resentencing in California over crimes against Evgeniya Chernyshova.

The sequence underscores why the latest sentence comes more than six years after Weinstein was first convicted. The legal path did not move directly from the 2020 verdict to a final sentence: the state's highest court intervened, a retrial followed, and a new guilty verdict was returned in 2025.

The 2024 ruling was specifically about how the first trial was conducted. It found that testimony from other women whose allegations were outside the case had unfairly prejudiced Weinstein, requiring the prosecution to proceed again at a new trial.

What happens next with Harvey Weinstein's California resentencing

With the latest New York sentencing completed, Weinstein next faces resentencing in California. That proceeding concerns his rape and sexual assault of Italian model and actor Evgeniya Chernyshova at a Los Angeles hotel in 2013.

The California matter is separate from the New York conviction involving Haley and represents the next identified stage in Weinstein's legal proceedings. No further details about the timing of that resentencing are included in the current reports.

Weinstein's cases continue to carry significance beyond the individual court proceedings because the allegations against the former Miramax chief that emerged in 2017 are widely treated as the origin of the #MeToo movement.

For the immediate legal timeline, however, the focus now moves west. New York has imposed a 15-year sentence after the 2025 retrial, while the California resentencing over the crimes against Chernyshova remains ahead.

Frequently asked questions

Why was Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 15 years?

Harvey Weinstein received a 15-year sentence for a first-degree criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley. Haley testified that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at his New York City apartment in 2006. A retrial jury found him guilty of that charge in June 2025.

Why was Harvey Weinstein retried in New York?

New York's highest court erased Weinstein's original conviction in 2024 and ordered a new trial. It ruled that he had been prejudiced by testimony from other women whose allegations were not part of the case. Weinstein was then convicted again on the charge involving Miriam Haley in June 2025.

What happens next in Harvey Weinstein's California case?

Weinstein next faces resentencing in California for raping and sexually assaulting Italian model and actor Evgeniya Chernyshova at a Los Angeles hotel in 2013. That proceeding is separate from the New York case in which he received a 15-year sentence on September 23, 2026.

What was Harvey Weinstein's original New York sentence?

Weinstein was first convicted in New York in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years. New York's highest court erased that conviction in 2024 and ordered another trial. After the June 2025 retrial produced a guilty verdict involving Miriam Haley, a judge imposed a new 15-year sentence in September 2026.