Manhattan D.A. Requests ‘Lengthy Prison Sentence’ for Harvey Weinstein

Manhattan assistant district attorney Joan Illuzzi urged Justice James Burke to give Harvey Weinstein a “lengthy prison sentence” worthy of the offenses he has committed.

In a letter sent to the judge on Friday, Illuzzi outlined the findings of the D.A.’s office two-year investigation into Weinstein, which included 16 different accusations of sexual assault and harassment — dating back to 1978 — that Weinstein ultimately wasn’t charged for by the D.A.’s office, 17 different accusations of “abusive behavior in the workplace,” and three other examples of “bad acts.”

“These acts, viewed in the totality, establish that throughout his entire adult professional life, defendant has displayed a staggering lack of empathy, treating others with disdain and inhumanity. He has consistently advanced his own sordid desires and fixations over the well-being of others. He has destroyed people’s lives and livelihoods or threatened to do so on whim. He has exhibited an attitude of superiority and complete lack of compassion for his fellow man,” Illuzzi wrote. “What is obvious from this list of misdeeds is that many of them are frighteningly similar to the events testified to at trial.”

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“It is therefore totally appropriate in this case to communicate to a wider audience that sexual assault, even if perpetrated upon an acquaintance or in a professional setting, is a serious offense worthy of a lengthy prison sentence,” the letter also stated.

A spokesperson for Weinstein did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Weinstein, who was found guilty of rape and a forcible sexual act last week, is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan courtroom next Wednesday for his sentencing. He faces up to 29 years in prison.

View the letter below:

Weinstein Sentencing Letter by Sharon Waxman on Scribd

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