From prison, ex-Hollywood producer Weinstein rushed to hospital

for emergency heart surgery

Former Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein has been rushed from a New York City jail to a hospital for emergency heart surgery.

This was confirmed by Weinstein's representatives Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer in a statement, first reported by ABC News. “Mr Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital last night due to several medical conditions,” 

“We can confirm that Mr Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today however cannot comment any further than that.”

“As we have extensively stated before, Mr Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment,” they added.

“We are grateful to the executive team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for acting swiftly in taking him to Bellevue Hospital.”

Weinstein is scheduled to appear in court this week in New York, where prosecutors have been presenting evidence to a grand jury in hopes of obtaining a new indictment against him on sex crimes charges.

The 72-year-old was convicted of rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison in the United States in 2020, marking a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement, which has seen women accuse hundreds of men in entertainment, media, politics, and other sectors of sexual misconduct.

However, in April, the New York Court of Appeals overturned the Manhattan conviction, ruling that the Miramax film studio co-founder did not receive a fair trial because a judge improperly allowed testimony from accusers who were not formally charged with assault.

In 2022, a Los Angeles court convicted him of raping an actress in the city and sentenced him to 16 years in jail. That conviction was unaffected by the New York court's decision, and he has yet to begin serving his California sentence.

Last Thursday, UK prosecutors said that they had dropped indecent assault charges against Weinstein after determining there was no realistic likelihood of a conviction.

Weinstein denied any wrongdoing and denied having nonconsensual sexual encounters with anyone.