Harvey Weinstein tests positive for COVID-19, isolated in prison, reports say
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 24: Harvey Weinstein enters a Manhattan court house as a jury continues with deliberations in his trial on February 24, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
ALBANY - Harvey Weinstein, currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to multiple reports on Sunday.
The disgraced film mogul, who turned 68 on Thursday, is locked up at the maximum-security Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo, according to state prison officials. He is known behind bars as inmate No. 20B0584.
A local newspaper reports that officials connected to the state prison system say that Weinstein has tested positive for the virus and is now in isolation in prison, where he is one of two inmates confirmed to have coronavirus.
Weinstein was transferred into the prison system after his sentencing a week ago. He had been alternating between Rikers Island and a New York hospital during his trial.
The prison, six hours by car from Manhattan, is likely just a temporary stop for Weinstein. While he’s there, he’ll be evaluated to determine which state prison facility meets his security, medical, mental health and other needs.
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Weinstein left the court in an ambulance after the guilty verdict and detoured to Bellevue Hospital, complaining of chest pains and high blood pressure. He later had a stent inserted to unblock an artery. After his sentencing, he returned with more chest pains.
Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of “Shakespeare in Love,” was convicted of raping an aspiring actress in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006. His lawyers have said they’ll appeal.
Within hours of Weinstein’s sentencing, prosecutors in Los Angeles announced they were beginning the extradition process to send him there for an arraignment on charges he raped a woman and sexually assaulted another in 2013. That’s now on hold because of the coronavirus crisis that has shuttered courthouses and limited travel.