On February 24, 2020, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of two felony sex crimes. The charges that Weinstein was found guilty of were first degree criminal sexual assault and third degree rape. He was not found guilty on the charges of predatory sexual assault and first degree rape. As of writing this, Weinstein has yet to be sentenced. His sentencing is scheduled for March 11, 2020. Weinstein could be sentenced anywhere from five to 25 years in prison.
Weinstein was a successful movie producer who established the Miramax Films Corporation along with his brother Bob Weinstein in 1979. Throughout his time in the movie business, Weinstein helped produce many theatrical hits such as “Pulp Fiction,” “Shakespeare in Love” and “Good Will Hunting.” The movie “Shakespeare in Love” won an Oscar for Best Picture in 1999, while “Pulp Fiction” and “Good Will Hunting” had extremely high returns and very positive reviews at the box office. Then in 2005, Weinstein and his brother left the Miramax Films Corporation to found The Weinstein Company. Then on October 5, 2017, The New York Times wrote an article titled “Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades.”
Within the article, Weinsteins’ history of sexual abuse started to come into the mainstream spotlight. Shortly after the allegations came out, Weinstein allegedly went off to a rehabilitation facility in Arizona for sex addiction treatment. Then on October 8, Weinstein was officially fired from The Weinstein Company. On May 25, 2018, Weinstein turned himself in to the New York Police Department and was arrested for rape, commiting a criminal sex act, sexual misconduct and sexual abuse.
In my previous opinion piece, I predicted that Weinstein would receive what I call the “Elite Pass.” For those who did not read my article, the “Elite Pass” is when someone with wealth, power and connections is given a significantly less harsh sentence or no sentence at all for doing something wrong or illegal.
I believe that with all of the testimonies giving the same, general consensus, Weinstein has been fairly charged with the crimes that he committed because according to New York Rape Laws, third degree rape is when “he or she engages in sexual intercourse with another person without such person’s consent, which is withheld for some other reason than incapacity to consent.” I personally feel that this fits the description of the events that were described during the testimonies against Weinstein.
I have a feeling that there are going to be two possible outcomes that will come from the sentencing of Weinstein. The first outcome being that Weinstein will have a very minimal sentence, which would include prison time ranging anywhere from the absolute minimum sentence of five years to 10 years for this outcome. The second possible outcome would be around the maximum sentencing of 25 years in prison.
I hope that Weinstein receives the the second possible outcome for the atrocious crimes that he committed because, like everybody else, he is not above the rule of law. If Weinstein is given the maximum sentencing for his crimes, hopefully it will serve as a warning to those who consider themselves above the rule of law.
Andrew Chase can be contacted at achase@kscequinox.com
