US: Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Convicted rapist and disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years behind bars.

Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape and committing a first-degree criminal sexual act in late February, and faced up to 25 years in prison.

The first offense stems from a sexual assault in 2013, while the sex act charge stemmed from Weinstein's sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his New York apartment in 2006.

Haleyi, a production assistant, accused Weinstein of forcing her to perform a sex act on her in his Manhattan apartment while a second, unidentified woman accused Weinstein of rape in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.

The jury handed down the verdict after deliberating for five days.

The former Hollywood producer faces charges in a separate case in Los Angeles related to two incidents during a two-day period in 2013.