At 67, Harvey Weinstein is facing a sentence of five to 29 years. Another trial to come, in California, could easily add to his time up the river.
It’s justice for his accusers but, more important, a message to the misogyny of the past. There can be no more casting couches. No more “boys will be boys.” No more “this is the way things work.”
It took enormous courage for Miriam Haleyi, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff and Lauren Marie Young to come forward and testify. As lead prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon put it in her closing argument, Weinstein didn’t expect these women to “walk out of the shadows and call him exactly what he was: an abusive rapist.”
All can now hold their heads high: Their courage is a symbol to others to come forward.
The inherent messiness of the case made this prosecution, relying pretty exclusively on witness testimony, a risk: Kudos to Manhattan DA Cy Vance for going ahead, and for seeking conviction on more serious counts as well.
The defense managed to sway the jury enough to avoid an outright life sentence, yet Weinstein may well spend his remaining days in prison — and he was taken straight from court to Rikers Island.
And, of course, his 100-plus accusers have not only guaranteed the end of his career and destruction of his reputation, they’ve helped permanently change the culture. No matter how powerful the man, anything remotely approaching Weinstein’s behavior has become very risky indeed.
And that’s the biggest win of all.