Harvey Weinstein allegedly attempted to use $1.75 million from behind bars to influence the jury pool in his New York sex crimes case, prosecutors claim. They say recordings capture the disgraced Hollywood producer discussing the offer with a podcaster.
The shocking allegation surfaced through The New York Post during Weinstein’s sentencing for sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam “Mimi” Haley. Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg told the court that Weinstein made the offer during a jailhouse phone call, hoping to release videos that could reach potential jurors and even those already selected to serve on the case.
According to Blumberg, the content was meant to support Weinstein’s defense by “contaminating the jury pool and reaching the seated jurors before and after the trials.” She further accused Weinstein of pursuing a “scheme to disrupt the trial and instill fear in his victims.”
Prosecutors have not publicly named the podcaster allegedly involved. However, Candace Owens released a 2025 podcast series titled Harvey Speaks, which featured jailhouse videos of Weinstein, prompting speculation that she may have been the recipient of the alleged multimillion-dollar offer.
Owens’ spokesperson, Mitchell Jackson, stated that Weinstein never paid her. Weinstein’s representatives also firmly rejected claims that he tried to influence jurors.
“That characterization is patently untrue. Harvey never offered or paid anyone $1.75 million to influence a jury, and there was no such agreement,” Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said.
“Talking with friends about media coverage or expressing frustration is a very different thing from paying someone to contaminate a jury pool or intimidate witnesses,” Engelmayer continued. “No money was paid, no such deal was made, and portraying these conversations as a criminal-style ‘scheme’ is inflammatory and misleading.”
The allegation emerged at the conclusion of a years-long legal battle that has repeatedly brought Weinstein before New York juries.
Weinstein was first convicted in 2020 of sexually assaulting Haley and raping Jessica Mann, receiving a 23-year prison sentence. However, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction in 2024 on procedural grounds, paving the way for a retrial.
A second jury once again found Weinstein guilty of sexually assaulting Haley but acquitted him of a separate charge involving Kaja Sokola. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on Mann’s rape allegation, leading to another trial this year that also ended in a hung jury.
Prosecutors eventually dismissed that charge after Mann said she could no longer face testifying at a fourth trial.
Weinstein, 74, was ultimately handed a 15-year sentence for the assault on Haley. Before his sentence was announced, he addressed the court, saying, “I am not a perfect person. I am a person who has made mistakes,” while expressing “remorse for Miriam Haley.”
“I’m not a violent man,” Weinstein pleaded. “I ask for mercy.”
Haley told the court that the impact of the assault had remained with her for 20 years.
“It has often felt as though I was the one on trial,” she said. “It’s a life sentence for me.”
Judge Curtis Farber delivered a much more damning verdict on Weinstein’s legacy.
“You had it all,” Farber told the former Miramax powerhouse. “Your legacy could have been cemented as greatness, a titan in the industry. But you threw it all away by sexually assaulting Miriam.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, help is available. Contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or use RAINN’s online hotline for free, confidential support.
