Harvey Weinstein will be moved to the jail on Rikers Island after undergoing a heart procedure.
The disgraced movie mogul, 67, is expected to be transferred to the jail facility on Thursday, March 5, Weinstein’s spokesman, Juda Engelmayer told Reuters. The outlet reported that he was seeking to stay at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City ahead of his upcoming sentencing scheduled for Wednesday, March 11.
Weinstein, according to Variety, concluded a 10-day stay at Bellevue. He was hospitalized for heart surgery that was intended to remove a blockage. He is now reported to be in stable condition.
Following his move to the Rikers Island jail, he will remain in the facility’s North Infirmary Command.
Weinstein’s hospitalization and transfer to Rikers Island comes days after a jury of seven men and five women reached a verdict in his rape trial in New York. On February 24, the businessman was found guilty and convicted of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.
The Miramax cofounder was, however, found not guilty of predatory sexual assault. If he was not acquitted on the charge, he could have been sentenced to life behind bars.
Though more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, the conviction was related to accusations that he forced oral sex on Miriam Haley, a former Project Runway production assistant, in 2006, and for raping actress Jessica Mann in a New York City hotel room in 2013.
He faces up to 29 years in prison.
In October 2017, a New York Times exposé detailed sexual misconduct allegations from several women, including Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan. The article kicked off the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. It also sparked a wave of exposé pieces on several other industry men, such as Kevin Spacey and James Franco.
“The jury’s verdict sends a powerful message to the world of just how much progress has been made since the Weinstein Silence Breakers ignited an unstoppable movement,” Tina Tchen, president and CEO of the Time’s Up, said in a press release on February 24. “In two short years, Time’s Up helped pass new laws to help survivors achieve justice, helped thousands of individuals take on harassers and abusers in court, and changed the game when it comes to how matters of safety and equity in the workplace are understood.”
The statement continued, “While we celebrate this historic moment, our fight to fix the broken system that has allowed serial abusers like Harvey Weinstein to abuse women in the first place continues. Abusers everywhere and the powerful forces that protect them should be on notice: There’s no going back.”
Weinstein shares daughter India, 9, and son Dashiell, 6, with ex-wife Georgina Chapman, who left him after the scandal broke. He also shares daughters Lily, 24, Emma, 22, and Ruth, 17, with his first wife, Eve Chilton.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.
