Harvey Weinstein, the former movie producer, was urgently taken from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital for emergency heart surgery after experiencing chest pains, according to his representatives.
In a statement, Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer confirmed that Weinstein, 72, underwent a procedure related to several medical conditions and expressed gratitude toward the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for their prompt response. They reiterated that Weinstein has numerous significant health issues requiring ongoing treatment.
This medical emergency occurs just as Weinstein is set to appear in court this week in New York, where evidence is being presented to a grand jury in an effort to secure a new indictment on sex crime charges. Weinstein has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that any sexual encounters he had were consensual.
Weinstein has recently been seen in court using a wheelchair and requested to remain at Rikers for medical care. In a surprising decision in April, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s conviction for sex crimes against three women, citing issues with the trial judge’s handling of prior alleged sexual acts.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office is currently pursuing new charges against Weinstein related to an alleged sexual assault that took place between late 2005 and mid-2006 in lower Manhattan. Additionally, prosecutors are investigating two other potential offenses: one in May 2016 at a hotel in Tribeca and another incident at the Tribeca Grand hotel.
This is not the first time Weinstein has faced a health crisis; in July, he was transferred to Bellevue after contracting COVID-19 and double pneumonia.