67-year-old Hollywood producer may end his life in prison • He was convicted of serious sex offenses by two women in the media industry • Accusations against him started #MeToo movement

Producer and his sentence: 23 years in prison tonight (Wednesday) on Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer whose charges against him led to the #MeToo movement. In recent years, dozens of women have accused Weinstein of serious sex offenses, including rape and sexual assault, and using his great power in Hollywood to silence such accusations and deter complainants. 67-year-old Weinstein may end his life in prison.

USA: Harvey Weinstein trial begins // Photo: Reuters

Although dozens of women complained against Weinstein, statute of limitations meant that only two complaints came to court, one from an actress and the other from a production worker, and Weinstein was convicted in both cases.

The actress, who was seven at the start of the 2013 case, said during the punishment arguments that "rape not only moves away during rape, but goes on forever."

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Weinstein himself went on to claim that all his actions were in agreement, and the very fact of the lawsuit confuses him, "and many more men," he claims.

More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault, decades after the alleged acts were committed. Following the line of public accusations against Weinstein, women around the world began posting numerous allegations of sexual assault or harassment by powerful men in the business, politics, media and entertainment industries.

Some of Weinstein's complainants organized an out-of-court press conference attended by actresses Rosanna Arquette and Rose McGowan.

Weinstein, who was accustomed to marching on the red carpet at the Hollywood film industry ceremonies, stands behind acclaimed films such as "In Love Shakespeare," which won the Best Picture Award at the 1999 Academy Awards, and "The English Wounded."

The allegations against Weinstein were first reported in the New York Times and New Yorker magazine in October 2017. A few days later, he was expelled from the American Film Academy. Actress Alyssa Milano tweeted on Twitter at the time: "If you've ever been harassed, or sexually assaulted, you will write 'Me too' as an answer to this tweet." This tweet sparked the #metoo protest, which has become one of the most common hashtags. According to BrandWatch research firm, in 2019 this hashtag has been viewed no less than 42 billion times.