Harvey Weinstein Being Monitored in Prison for Possible COVID-19 Exposure After Falling Ill with Fever
Harvey Weinstein is being monitored with a fever by medical staff amid reports that he has been tested for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) after a possible exposure, PEOPLE has learned.
Representatives for Weinstein, Juda Englemeyer and Craig Rothfeld, tell PEOPLE in a statement on Tuesday that the 68-year-old disgraced film producer — who was convicted of rape and sexual assault charges earlier this year — "has a fever and is being closely monitored by the excellent medical staff at Wende CF for which the entire legal defense team is grateful."
"It should come as no surprise that Mr. Weinstein has numerous maladies and conditions including a heart condition, high blood pressure and spinal stenosis," they say. "We are working with the NYSDOCCS and the excellent team at Wende CF to ensure Mr. Weinstein receives the proper medical attention he needs."
According to TMZ, who was first to report Weinstein's latest sickness, he was tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning and doctors are currently waiting on results. Weinstein has reportedly been placed in isolation for 72 hours.
Representatives for Weinstein could neither confirm nor deny to PEOPLE that he tested positive for COVID-19.
News of Weinstein's illness comes seven months after reports that he tested positive for coronavirus following a transfer from New York City's Rikers Island to Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County, New York.
At the time, officials told Niagara Gazette they believed Weinstein was already positive for COVID-19 when he entered the facility. Prior to the move, Weinstein had been alternating between Rikers Island and a New York City hospital, where he was reportedly being treated for high blood pressure and chest pains.
On March 11, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in a New York City courtroom after his February conviction on charges of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape, according to multiple reports.
Under the law, the judge could have imposed a sentence of up to 29 years. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum while Weinstein’s defense attorneys argued for the minimum sentence of five years.
In February, jurors acquitted Weinstein of three other charges including the most severe charge, predatory sexual assault, which would have carried a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, The Washington Post reported.
Weinstein has denied the allegations throughout the trial, claiming that his sexual encounters with the two accusers in the New York case were consensual.
The former movie mogul now faces additional rape and sexual battery charges in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced in October.
In total, Weinstein is facing four counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, involving five victims for crimes that span from 2004 to 2013, according to a press release from the district attorney's office.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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