Harvey Weinstein tested positive for COVID-19 and contracted double pneumonia, an authorized representative confirmed Thursday.
Weinstein, who is awaiting retrial in his New York criminal case and is appealing his California conviction, is also dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis and fluid on his heart and lung, the representative said. He’s currently at the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, according to New York City Department of Correction records.
The former Hollywood mogul has been hospitalized several times in recent years. He was brought to Bellevue Hospital with chest pains in 2020 shortly after he was sentenced to 23 years behind bars on rape and criminal sexual act charges.
Weinstein also underwent a heart procedure at Bellevue to open a blocked artery after his conviction, CBS New York reported.
He was also hospitalized in April shortly after an appeals court ruling overturned his 2020 rape conviction. At the time, his attorney, Arthur L. Aidala, told CBS News in a statement that the New York City Department of Correction “determined that Mr. Weinstein needed immediate medical attention. A myriad of tests are being performed on Harvey and he is being kept for observation.”
“Harvey Weinstein was used to drinking champagne and eating caviar and now he’s at the commissary paying for potato chips and M&Ms,” Aidala said in May. “Mentally, he’s fine. He’s sharp as a tack. But physically, he’s been breaking down for years.”
Weinstein remained behind bars after his New York conviction was overturned because he was convicted in a separate case in California.
Prosecutors in New York are pursuing a new trial for Weinstein. It’s expected to begin sometime after Labor Day. Weinstein’s attorneys last month appealed his Los Angeles conviction. He was found guilty in that case and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2023.
Weinstein has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. He’s appeared in court in recent years using a walker and a wheelchair.
