After complaining of chest pains and spending five days in a New York City hospital last week, Harvey Weinstein, the recently convicted rapist, has been given the all-clear to return to Rikers Island prison.
A representative of Weinstein said the 67-year-old’s doctor deemed him healthy enough to leave Bellevue Hospital and return to the prison on Monday, according to Variety.
The news was confirmed by the NYC Department of Correction, whose website lists Weinstein as officially back at Rikers and being held in North Infirmary Command (NIC) — the prison’s medical ward — at least for the time being.
So far, Weinstein has managed to dodge going to Rikers Island prison twice. After being incarcerated in late February, the disgraced movie mogul was redirected to Bellevue after experiencing high blood pressure and heart palpitations.
Weinstein spent a week in the hospital before undergoing a subsequent heart procedure. He was then sent to the Rikers NIC on March 5, but only for six days.
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Following his court hearing on March 11, Weinstein was once again moved to Bellevue hospital after the fateful trail seemingly triggered “chest pains.” That was only hours after he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault by Supreme Court Judge James Burke.
Weinstein, who for years has been accused of violating scores of women, was convicted on Feb. 24 of raping a woman in a New York City hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on another woman at his apartment in 2006.
He faced a maximum of 29 years in prison and was sentenced to 23: 20, plus five years of supervised release, for his conviction on the first-degree count of criminal sexual act, and three additional years in prison on the third-degree rape charge.
On Weinstein’s response to the sentencing, Juda Engelmayer, one of his representatives, told Variety: “It’s known that he has a weak heart.”
“Right after the sentencing, when he went back to Rikers, he was faint and talking funny,” said Engelmayer. “The staff at Rikers felt it was best to send him back to make sure nothing happened to him. He has heart issues and serious health issues and they wanted to make sure he was OK.”
Additionally, a member of the Rikers staff backed Engelmayer’s statement, telling The Hollywood Reporter that the prison made the decision to send Weinstein back to Bellevue “for safety” concerns and that he would be “evaluated and likely stay overnight.”
Weinstein, who has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual, said he had fond memories of his accusers.
— With files from Katie Scott
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