Former Hollywood producer and powerhouse Harvey Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital for a battery of medical exams on Saturday, days after the New York Court of Appeals overturned his 2020 rape conviction, setting the stage for a retrial.
According to NBC News, Weinstein, 72, was returning to Rikers Island jail in New York City in preparation for his upcoming court appearance. After being checked out by Rikers doctors, he was moved on to the Manhattan hospital, according to NBC.
The former movie mogul had been transported from Mohawk Correctional Facility near Syracuse, New York, to a medical unit at Rikers.
Weinstein’s publicist, Juda Engelmayer, and Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, both confirmed Weinstein was transferred from the Rikers Island jail complex, according to The Washington Post.
Engelmayer said Weinstein’s transfer”triggered” some of his existing health problems, necessitating more vigilant medical supervision, the Post reported.
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He also mentioned that moving Weinstein to Bellevue Hospital “is consistent with his prior custody.”
New York City Department of Correction spokesperson Frank Dwyer confirmed to reporters that Weinstein “remains in custody at Bellevue Hospital.”
He “needs a lot of help, physically,” Aidala said, according to NBC News. “He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck healthwise.”
According to The Associated Press, Aidala also said Weinstein had been treated poorly in jail.
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He said prison staff allegedly refused to offer Weinstein “a sip of water,” food and bathroom breaks.
“He was not treated well … He’s a 72-year-old sickly man.”
Additionally, Weinstein’s legal defense team has reportedly argued that he suffers from cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnea and eye problems and that he lost four of his teeth in prison in 2021.
Weinstein is expected in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday and will appear before Judge Curtis Farber at 2:15 pm.
Weinstein saw his 2020 rape conviction overturned by a New York court on Thursday, prompting the possibility of a retrial.
The New York Court of Appeals ruled that the trial judge had unfairly swayed the jury against Weinstein by allowing unrelated accusations from multiple women.
Judge Jenny Rivera described the errors as “egregious” and insisted on the necessity of a new trial.
Meanwhile, dissenting Judge Madeline Singas argued that the jury should have been allowed to consider Weinstein’s history of assaults.
Weinstein, serving a 23-year sentence in New York, still faces legal proceedings in California, where he has been convicted of rape and sentenced to 16 years.
