Harvey Weinstein is “closely monitored” with a fever in prison, his representatives said today. The former mogul, who was convicted of rape in New York earlier this year, is serving a 23-year sentence in a state prison near Buffalo.
Weinstein’s publicist Juda Englemeyer and Craig Rothfeld, his authorized representative for the New York Department of Corrections and Community Oversight and the Department of Health, said in a statement to . that the ex-producer had a fever but “would neither confirm nor deny that Mr. Weinstein has tested positive for COVID-19. “
They said his illness “should come as no surprise that Mr. Weinstein has numerous illnesses and ailments, including heart disease, high blood pressure and stenosis of the spine.” Read the full explanation below.
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As early as March, about a month after Weinstein’s conviction, an Empire State law enforcement officer confirmed to . had tested positive for the disease and was housed in isolation in the Wende correctional facility with maximum security. A source told us days later that the inmate “was over the top and was only getting better.”
However, New York law enforcement officials are not commenting on today’s news about Weinstein.
The Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love producer, who co-directed Miramax Films with his brother Bob Weinstein for a quarter of a century, was the subject of a scathing synopsis in the New York Times in October 2017 that began its demise and the emerging #MeToo movement cranked.
Weinstein was arrested for the first time in New York in late May 2018, more than seven months after the first of several damned articles in the Times, and initially faced two cases of predatory sexual assault, a first-degree criminal sexual act and one each first. Rape and third degree rape in New York. He faced travel restrictions and was required to deposit $ 5 million on bail after filing an innocent plea on July 9, 2018. Weinstein stepped up again on a not guilty plea on Aug. 26, 2019 when a new charge was added.
He was charged by Ashley Judd on a sex trafficking class action lawsuit and was the subject of another lawsuit by a woman who claims he molested her when he was 16 in 2002. He was also accused by nearly 100 other women of sexually assaulting or molesting him. A proposed $ 19 million deal with Weinstein and his former firm was mocked by some prosecutors who used terms such as “insult” to describe the offer. They determined that the deal, in its original form, would mean millions more for lawyers and former board members of the Weinstein Company, without Weinstein himself pleading guilty.
The jailed ex-mogul has also been subjected to numerous rapes and sexual assaults in Los Angeles, including several more than last month. If 68-year-old Weinstein is convicted of all charges in California, he faces an additional 140 years in prison.
Here is what Weinstein’s representatives said:
According to Juda Englemeyer, his publicist, and Craig Rothfeld, his authorized representative for NYSDOCCS and the NYS Department of Health, we cannot currently confirm or deny that Mr. Weinstein tested positive for COVID-19.
We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein has a fever and is being closely monitored by the excellent medical staff at Wende CF, for which the entire legal defense team is grateful.
It should come as no surprise that Mr. Weinstein has numerous illnesses and ailments, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and stenosis of the spine. We are working with NYSDOCCS and the amazing team at Wende CF to ensure Mr. Weinstein is getting the proper medical care he needs.
As information becomes available that we can freely discuss we will update all accordingly.
Dominic Patten contributed to this report.
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