‘I maintain that I’m innocent’: Harvey Weinstein makes final plea at sentencing

Harvey Weinstein has continued to declare his innocence after the disgraced film producer was sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.

During his final plea deal in court, Weinstein stood firm on his innocence and claimed that he’s “never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1” and that all of this is about people going after his money. He also argued that the woman “is an actress” and that she injured herself before meeting him. He believes that all the allegations made against him by his victims were made up.

“I maintain that I’m innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1. I never knew this woman, and the fact is she doesn’t know me. This is about money and coming after me.

“I did not rape this woman. I did not see this woman. She perjured herself. This is a made-up story. With all due respect, Jane Doe 1 is an actress and can turn on the tears.” 

Variety reported that Weinstein did not stand up to address the court due to his spinal condition, instead, the 70-year-old man sat while addressing the court, defending his innocence. He told the lawyers and judge that he “doesn’t deserve” his sentence and begged for mercy. He also believed that there were “too many things wrong” in the case and that all of this was a setup.

“Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things that are wrong with this case. There is no evidence.

“There are too many loopholes. Too many things wrong with this case. This isn’t true… I wasn’t there. This is a setup. This is not the way to act in this situation. I beg your mercy.”

Weinstein was charged with sexual abuse against four women and was found guilty in one case. He was sentenced to eight years for “oral copulation,” six years for “forcible penetration by a foreign object,” and two years for rape. All these sentences total accumulates to 16 years in prison. One of Weinstein’s representatives found the sentence “cruel” due to his age and multiple health conditions, and believed that Weinstein was “caught on the wrong side of cancel culture.”