The former film mogul Harvey Weinstein has been transferred from his notorious New York prison island to a hospital due to an acute health emergency.
The 72-year-old’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, confirmed to the German Press Agency that the convicted sex offender had been taken from Rikers Island to a clinic for emergency surgery. It was initially unclear how serious Weinstein’s condition was.
Weinstein was very successful as a producer of films such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Gangs of New York” and he also won an Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love”.
Weinstein, once the all-powerful Hollywood star, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 for sexual offenses in a historic trial – the numerous assaults on women he was accused of had played a key role in setting the MeToo movement in motion.
At the end of April, an appeals court in New York ruled but was surprisingly annulled due to procedural errors. The public prosecutor’s office has announced that it wants to reopen the case. The start date has been provisionally set for November 12th.
Health condition has been poor for a long time
According to his lawyers, Weinstein has serious health problems, including a heart condition. Several US media outlets reported on his hospitalization and that urgent heart surgery was being performed.
Despite the overturned New York verdict, Weinstein remains in prison because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2023 in another criminal case in Los Angeles that also involved sex crimes. His defense attorneys are also contesting this verdict.
The first Weinstein trial was a milestone in legal history. Since 2017, more than 80 women had publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault.
The ex-producer has always denied any guilt and claimed that sexual acts were consensual. (dpa)
