Weinstein, the once powerful film producer, was convicted last week of rape and criminal sexual assault after a trial in Manhattan that many saw as a milestone in the #MeToo movement. A judge ordered him held in jail until his sentencing March 11.
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Weinstein Undergoes Heart Procedure Before Transfer to Jail
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein underwent a heart procedure and was expected to be moved Thursday from a hospital to New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex, his spokesman said.
Weinstein Undergoes Heart Procedure Before Transfer to Jail
But hours after the verdict, Weinstein, 67, experienced extremely high blood pressure and heart palpitations, his lawyers said. He was taken directly from State Supreme Court in Manhattan to Bellevue Hospital Center, where he was treated for several days in a ward for prisoners.
On Wednesday, Weinstein had a stent implanted to alleviate a blockage, his spokesman, Juda Engelmayer, said.
The city’s Department of Correction did not immediately respond to questions about Weinstein’s condition.
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Weinstein is expected to be housed in the jail’s North Infirmary Command under protective custody, his spokesman said. The facility consists of two buildings, one of which was built in 1932 as a hospital for inmates.
Martin Horn, a former Department of Correction commissioner, said the facility was not “luxurious” but not “draconian” either. It contains about 10 cells on each block, as opposed to the nearly 30 on a typical Rikers cell block, he said, and once housed people with acute conditions like tuberculosis.
Weinstein — who, friends have said, is terrified of being behind bars — faces up to 29 years in prison. He has hired a prison consultant to help him navigate the journey from life on the outside to life in a cell.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times .
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