Harvey Weinstein sent to NYC hospital after contracting COVID, pneumonia in latest transfer from Rikers
Harvey Weinstein is back at Bellevue Hospital after catching COVID-19 and double pneumonia – two months after the Rikers Island inmate was yanked out of the same medical center after reports revealed he was enjoying special treatment.
The 72-year-old convicted rapist was transferred from the jail to the Manhattan hospital’s prison ward late Wednesday night to receive treatment for a “myriad of health conditions,” according to the disgraced Hollywood mogul’s spokesperson.
Weinstein tested positive for the coronavirus and contracted “double pneumonia in his lungs,” spokesperson Juda Engelmeyer said.
He also will be treated for ailments including “diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, fluid on his heart and lungs, and various other conditions” which he suffers from day-to-day, Engelmeyer added.
His transfer was confirmed to Engelmeyer by his prison consultant Craig Rothfield.
“We continue to express our gratitude to the officers, doctors and nurses at DOCS, CHS, and NYC H+H who saw to it that Mr. Weinstein was immediately transferred to the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward and will continue working hand in hand with them to ensure Mr. Weinstein receives proper medical treatment,” Engelmeyer said in a statement.
Weinstein’s Bellevue visit is the latest in a long dance of island-hopping for the ex-producer between Rikers and Manhattan to stay at Bellevue.
In May, he was sent back to Rikers after he was treated to cushy arrangements and special amenities like a phone, television and private bathroom at Bellevue, where he stayed on a different floor from other detainees, The City reported.
He was transferred to the hospital in April after his sex crimes conviction was overturned when he complained of chest pains. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and spent nine days at Bellevue before corrections officials pulled him out shortly after the report was published.
Last week, a Manhattan judge set a tentative start date of Nov. 12 for Weinstein’s retrial on rape and sexual assault charges.
Following the hearing, his attorneys told reporters they hoped to get him transferred back to Bellevue as his diet was being destroyed by high sugar levels in the meals served at Rikers.
The fallen Hollywood honcho’s conviction and 23-year sentence were overturned in April after the New York State Court of Appeals found the Manhattan trial judge “erroneously” allowed three alleged victims of Weinstein to testify during his trial when their allegations weren’t a part of the case.
Weinstein remains behind bars despite the high court’s decision because he was separately sentenced to 16 years in prison by a California court for raping an Italian model in 2013.