Larry Neumeister, Associated Press
Posted on Saturday, April 27, 2024 2:55 pmEDT
Last updated Saturday April 27, 2024 4:36 pmEDT
NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the former movie mogul has been hospitalized for a series of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling that overturned his 2020 rape conviction.
Attorney Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival Friday at the city’s jails.
“They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. He looks like he needs a lot of physical help. He has many problems. They are doing all kinds of tests on him. As for his health, it is a disaster,” Aidala said.
A message left at the hospital was not immediately returned Saturday.
Frank Dwyer, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Corrections, would only say that Weinstein remains in custody at Bellevue. Thomas Mailey, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, said Weinstein was turned over to the city’s Department of Corrections in accordance with the appeal ruling. Weinstein had been housed at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Albany.
On Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals overturned his conviction after concluding that a trial judge allowed jurors to see and hear too much evidence that was not directly related to the charges he faced. He also overturned his 23-year prison sentence and ordered a new trial.
Prosecutors said they intend to retry him on charges of forcibly performing oral sex on a film and television production assistant in 2006 and raping an aspiring actress in 2013.
Weinstein remained in custody after the appeal ruling because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
For some time, Weinstein has suffered from a variety of conditions, including heart problems, diabetes, sleep apnea and eye problems.
Aidala said he spoke with Weinstein on Friday afternoon after he was in transit to New York City from an upstate jail less than 24 hours after the appeal ruling, which was released Thursday morning.
He said his client’s ailments are physical and added that mentally he is “very sharp.” His feet are firmly planted on the ground.”
The attorney said it typically takes state prison and corrections officials one to two weeks to arrange for a prisoner to be transported.
“They didn’t treat him well. They refused to give him even a sip of water, food, or go to the bathroom,” Aidala said. “He is a sickly 72-year-old man.”
Mailey, the spokesman for the state prison system, had no comment when Aidala’s comments about Weinstein’s treatment were read over the phone.
Aidala said he was told that doctors at Bellevue planned to run many tests on Weinstein before he could return to the Rikers Island prison complex.
The lawyer said he plans to meet with Weinstein on Monday. He added that he plans to tell a judge when Weinstein goes to court Wednesday in Manhattan that a new trial should take place after Labor Day.