Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein's legal team has a unique angle when arguing for the lowest possible sentence, set to come down today (Wednesday). Lawyers for the 67-year-old say that extending his sentence beyond five years—the lowest prison sentence possible—would be “a de facto life sentence.”
They continued in a letter to New York Supreme Court Justice James Burke: “The grave reality is that Mr. Weinstein may not even outlive that term.”
They added that his life was “destroyed” by the exposure of his misdeeds, writing: “His fall from grace has been historic, perhaps unmatched in the age of social media.”
They also pointed out that he had no prior criminal record, and that he made millions of dollars in charitable contributions over the years.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, one of Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, was not hopeful: "I cannot say I'm optimistic. I am nervous about it."
The prosecution has called for a lengthy sentence based on his behavior. They wrote: "Based upon the totality of the information before this Court, namely: (1) the evidence adduced at trial regarding defendant's sexual assaults of Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann; (2) his sexual assaults of the Molineux witnesses, Tarale Wulff, Dawn Dunning, and Lauren Young, all committed under strikingly similar circumstances; and (3) his additional acts set forth in this letter that show a lifetime of abuse towards others, sexual and otherwise, the People will ask the Court to impose a sentence that reflects the seriousness of defendant's offenses, his total lack of remorse for the harm he has caused, and the need to deter him and others from engaging in further criminal conduct."
DEMOLITION
Meanwhile, former Real Housewives of New York City star Barbara Kavovit and her construction company have been hired to demolish his old offices at 99 Hudson St.
The 54-year-old estimates that it will take 16 weeks to demolish and rebuild the former Weinstein Co. HQ. She plans to hire 50 people, 20% of whom will be women.
“This is so personal, emotional and passionate for me because I feel the pain of those women,” she said of the disgraced movie mogul’s victims and accusers. “I’ve had a lot of Harveys in my life.”
“Demolition is crucial for starting over, and we are taking this down to the bones,” she added. “When I walk in here, I can feel the emotional ghosts. There were such brave women who stood up in that courtroom and faced Harvey. As we rip out the studs and use the sledgehammers to tear down the walls, I feel like I am doing it for them.”