NEW YORK — One-time movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was returned to a New York City jail, his publicist said Tuesday, following a published report that he received VIP treatment during his 10-day stay in the hospital.
Publicist Juda Engelmeyer said Weinstein was transferred Monday night from Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan to the infirmary at the city’s Rikers Island jail complex.
The move came hours after nonprofit news outlet The City reported that Weinstein was placed in a private room in the hospital’s intensive care unit with a TV, phone and bathroom instead of a separate floor where inmates typically live.
Engelmayer disputed that claim, saying Weinstein “did not receive preferential or VIP treatment” and was not accommodated in the alleged hospital suite. Engelmeier said he was housed on the inmate floor and everyone had access to a room with a phone and a television room.
“He was moved back to Rikers primarily because of pressure, I believe, from the news of what some considered to be VIP treatment,” he said.
Weinstein was transferred to Rikers on April 26 from Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles northwest of Albany, less than a day after a New York appeals court vacated his conviction. Taken to Bellevue Hospital.
An appeals court ruled that a Manhattan trial judge allowed jurors to see and hear too much evidence that was not directly related to the charges he faced and ordered a new trial, overturning his 23-year prison sentence. However, he remains incarcerated as he was convicted of another rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
While prosecutors have requested a retrial in September on charges that he forced a television and film production assistant to perform oral sex in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013, it is unclear whether key trial witnesses will return for questioning A new trial. Weinstein disputes the accusations.
Frank Dwyer, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Corrections, said Weinstein was initially sent to Bellevue for treatment and then returned to Rikers Island West Prison in Queens.
West Prison provides 140 specialized air-controlled housing units for inmates with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, according to the city’s website, although the prison is also reportedly used to house inmates who need to be isolated from the general prison population for other reasons.
In response to an email sent to Weinstein’s attorneys, Craig Rosfield, a prison consultant working with Weinstein’s attorneys, said the decision to return Weinstein to Rikers was made by medical staff, “who Fully qualified to make these medical decisions.”
He said there were no further updates on Weinstein’s health at this time and that city jail and health officials were still closely monitoring all of his health conditions.
“We have full confidence in their decision-making abilities regarding Mr. Weinstein’s safety and well-being and appreciate their continued communication,” Rosfeld said.
Engelmayer said Weinstein was being treated in the hospital for pneumonia, a recurring problem related to his heart disease and other health problems such as diabetes.
“He was grateful for the care he received at Bellevue,” he said.
Engelmayer said Weinstein was “disappointed” to return to Rikers and “didn’t feel comfortable” there, with a spokesman describing Weinstein’s residence as “more like an infirmary.”
He said Weinstein frequently spoke to his attorneys on the phone while in the hospital, and other inmates awaiting trial could do the same.
“He wasn’t treated any differently than anyone else. He wasn’t talking to his friends and partners and having a good time,” Engelmaier said.
Engelmayer said Weinstein gained some “relief and hope” from the appeal ruling, but he knew he faced a lengthy prison sentence in the California case and that an appeal of the conviction would not be heard for a year.
“His spirits are high, but he also knows there’s a long, long road ahead of him,” Engelmaier said. “He knew he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.