New York - Former movie producer Harvey
Weinstein, who was convicted of rape and sexual assault last
week, was being transferred to New York's Rikers Island jail
complex from Bellevue Hospital on Thursday after undergoing
heart surgery, according to his spokesman.
Weinstein was in the process of being moved shortly after 1
p.m. (1800 GMT), said his spokesman, Juda Engelmayer. He was
taken to Bellevue following his conviction on Feb. 24.
On Wednesday, he underwent a procedure to remove a heart
blockage, Engelmayer said.
Weinstein is expected to go to Rikers' North Infirmary
Command section, which houses inmates requiring medical care.
The Rikers Island jail complex, whose main building went up
in 1932, has long been plagued by violence and neglect. New York
City Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed in 2017 to close it within a
decade.
A Bellevue spokeswoman declined to comment on Weinstein. The
New York City Department of Correction, which runs the jail, did
not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Weinstein, 67, was found guilty of sexually assaulting
former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping
former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. He faces up to 29
years in prison when he is sentenced on March 11.
Jurors acquitted Weinstein on the two most serious charges,
predatory sexual assault, which carried a maximum life sentence.
The verdict was seen as a milestone for the #MeToo movement,
which was fueled by his case starting in late 2017. The movement
inspired women to accuse hundreds of powerful men - in
entertainment, business, news media, politics and other fields -
of sexual misconduct.
More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual
misconduct. He has denied the accusations, and said any sexual
encounters were consensual.
The former producer was a key force behind acclaimed films
such as "The English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love," which
both won Oscars for best picture. His former film studio, the
Weinstein Co, filed for bankruptcy in March 2018 and is being
liquidated.
In addition to his convictions in New York, Weinstein also
faces several felony charges in Los Angeles in connection with
alleged sexual assaults against two women in 2013.