UPDATE: Harvey Weinstein was taken to the hospital after being sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York on Wednesday.
"He had chest pains and Rikers staff decided for safety to send him back to Bellevue now," Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for Weinstein, tells E! News. "He will be evaluated and likely will stay overnight. We appreciate the care and concern of the Department of Corrections office and staff."
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Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York on Wednesday following his rape and sexual assault conviction. He received 20 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision for criminal sexual act in the first degree and three years in prison with five years of post-release supervision for rape in the third degree, per NBC. He was ordered to serve these sentences consecutively.
"We thank the court for imposing a sentence that puts sexual predators and abusive partners in all segments of society on notice," District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said in a statement. "We thank the survivors for their remarkable statements today and indescribable courage over the last two years. Harvey Weinstein deployed nothing less than an army of spies to keep them silent. But they refused to be silent, and they were heard. Their words took down a predator and put him behind bars, and gave hope to survivors of sexual violence all across the world."
Juda Engelmayer, who represents Weinstein, also spoke out after the sentencing.
"This was a miscarriage of justice from the beginning of the process until now," Engelmayer said in a statement. "His sentence doesn't commensurate with the conviction and we believe on appeal, the court's prejudice and the Prosecution's looseness with evidence and procedures, along with the extreme biases that faced Mr. Weinstein before he walked into the courtroom, the evidence will show that this case had no merit."
Donna Rotunno, Weinstein's lawyer, addressed the media about the sentencing, as well and said the "number was obnoxious."
"Of course it's too harsh, that's ridiculous," she said when questioned about it. "Harvey feels terrible. Of course he does. This is not an easy day. We hope that this sentence will speak to the appellate court in a way that will show that this has been unfair since the very beginning and here is just one thing that we can add to the list of things that did not show a fair, just and impartial trial."
In addition, TIME'S UP President and CEO Tina Tchen said she's "grateful for the courage and strength" of the women who testified in court and expressed hope that "today's sentence brings all of the survivors of Harvey Weinstein some measure of peace."
"We also hope that these women take pride in knowing the impact they have had on our culture at large," she continued. "Whether by inspiring more survivors to come forward and seek help, changing how the justice system responds to sexual violence, or leading corporate boards to hold more CEOs accountable for toxic workplace culture, the social change catalyzed by these survivors has been nothing short of transformational. TIME'S UP is committed to keep fighting until everybody is safe at work and in the pursuit of their careers, no exceptions."
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision told E! News Weinstein will have to be declared "state ready" before he can be taken into custody.
Weinstein arrived at the Manhattan Supreme Court in a blue suit. His accusers, including all six of the women who testified against him, were also there and sat in the front row. They were greeted with applause upon their arrival.
Before the sentencing was announced, prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon thanked Judge James Burke, the media and the accusers and asked for Weinstein to be sentenced "to the max or near the max." Jessica Mann and Mimi Haley also addressed the court. Haley, a former Project Runway production assistant who claimed Weinstein assaulted her in 2006, said she had been scarred "deeply, mentally and emotionally." Mann, who accused Weinstein of rape, also described the impact.
"I'm forced to carry that experience until I die," the actress said, describing it as a "recurring nightmare."
In addition, Rotunno spoke and asked for Weinstein to be given the minimum sentence. Weinstein also addressed the court. He said he prays "for all of you through this crisis." Furthermore, he said "men are confused about these issues" and that he's "worried about this country."
On Feb. 24, a jury found the convicted mogul guilty of third-degree rape and criminal sexual act in the first degree for attacks on Mann and Haley. He was found not guilty on two counts of predatory sexual assault and one count of rape in the first degree.
Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 80 women, which helped spark the #MeToo movement in 2017. Since then, he has denied all accusations of non-consensual sex.
Following the verdict last month, Weinstein was handcuffed and taken out of the courtroom. A request from his attorney for Weinstein to remain on his current bail package was denied at the time.
According to CNN, Weinstein's defense attorneys were "requesting a five-year prison sentence, the minimum for his first-degree criminal sexual act conviction" because of his "personal charitable giving, advanced age, medical issues and lack of criminal history."
"Given his age and specific medical risk factors, any additional term of imprisonment above the mandatory minimum—although the grave reality is that Mr. Weinstein may not even outlive that term — is likely to constitute a de facto life sentence," the letter from Weinstein's defense attorneys continued.
Most recently, the 67-year-old former producer underwent heart surgery and was moved from a New York hospital to the city's Rikers Island jail complex ahead of today's sentencing. E! News confirmed Weinstein had a stent implanted to alleviate a blockage.
According to Weinstein's rep, per Reuters, he had suffered from pre-existing conditions prior to his trial—diabetes and high blood pressure—and was also pictured attending hearings using a walker.
The legal battle against Weinstein began in May 2018 when he was arrested and charged in New York City and later indicted by a grand jury. In June 2018, Weinstein pleaded not guilty to three of the charges and pleaded not guilty to additional charges the following month.
Further, Weinstein is also facing four sexual assault charges in Los Angeles, Calif, where he is accused of raping an unidentified woman in her hotel room and allegedly sexually assaulting a different woman in a Beverly Hills hotel suite the following evening.
According to County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, per a press release, Weinstein was charged with one felony count of each alleged forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint. The rape and sexual assault incidents allegedly took place in February 2013.
"We believe the evidence will show that the defendant used his power and influence to gain access to his victims and then commit violent crimes against them," Lacey said in the statement. "I want to commend the victims who have come forward and bravely recounted what happened to them. It is my hope that all victims of sexual violence find strength and healing as they move forward."
One of the women is a former model and actress who recounted Weinstein's alleged assault to the Los Angeles Times in 2017. According to LAT, Loyal law professor and a former federal prosecutor, Laurie Levenson, said it might be possible that the L.A. County charges "will be negotiated and a plea bargain will be entered without a trial." However, according to experts that spoke with LAT, the conviction in New York will at the same time "make it easier for prosecutors to prove their case in Los Angeles."
New York-based attorney and expert on sexual assault cases Paul DerOhannesian also said it might prove difficult for the producer's L.A. defense team to make a case for him while he's behind bars.
"It's more difficult when you're incarcerated to defend yourself," DerOhannesian told LAT, "and even more challenging when you're convicted cross-country, sitting in a New York state prison."
At the time of Weinstein's verdict in February, TIME'S UP's Tchen said in a statement, "This trial—and the jury's decision today—marks a new era of justice, not just for the Silence Breakers, who spoke out at great personal risk, but for all survivors of harassment, abuse, and assault at work. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mimi Haleyi, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, and Lauren Young and all the Silence Breakers for their bravery and resolve as they faced this man in court. We continue to believe them—all of them—and continue to be in solidarity with them."
(This story was originally published on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 8:10 a.m. PST.)