Harvey Weinstein, the once influential Hollywood producer, was sentenced to 23 years in a New York State prison on Wednesday after his conviction on felony sex crimes, capping a two-year plummet from grace over his sexual abuse of women.
The sentencing marked a major milestone in the #MeToo movement, which gained momentum after several women went public with their complaints about Mr. Weinstein.
Women’s rights organizations and Mr. Weinstein’s accusers had celebrated the producer’s conviction, calling it the start of a new era of women’s empowerment.
Justice James A. Burke, who presided over the trial in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, could have sentenced Mr. Weinstein, 67, to as little as five years, but he heeded the arguments of prosecutors who urged him to hand down a long sentence.