Urgent heart surgery Prisoner Harvey Weinstein taken to hospital for emergency surgery

Former film mogul Harvey Weinstein has been transferred from his notorious New York prison island to a hospital due to an acute health emergency. The 72-year-old's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, confirmed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur that the convicted sex offender was taken from Rikers Island to a clinic for emergency surgery. It initially remained unclear how serious Weinstein's condition is.

The once all-powerful Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual offenses in a historic trial in 2020 - the numerous assaults on women of which he was accused were a major catalyst for the MeToo movement.

At the end of April, however, an appeals court in New York surprisingly overturned the verdict due to procedural errors. The public prosecutor's office has announced its intention to reopen the trial. A provisional start date of November 12 has been set.

Poor state of health for a long time

According to his lawyers, Weinstein has serious health problems, including a heart condition. Several US media outlets reported that he had been admitted to hospital and that urgent heart surgery was being carried out.

Weinstein remains in prison despite the overturned New York conviction because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in another criminal trial in Los Angeles in 2023, which also involved sex crimes. His defense lawyers are also contesting this verdict.

The first Weinstein trial was a milestone in legal history. Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault. The ex-producer has always denied any guilt and claimed that sexual acts were consensual.

SDA