Harvey Weinstein is battling cancer behind bars.
Weinstein, 72, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a rare form of bone marrow cancer, NBC News reported on Monday, October 21.
The disgraced movie mogul is undergoing treatment in prison at Rikers Island in New York, according to the outlet. Weinstein representative Craig Rothfeld told NBC: “Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment.”
The diagnosis is the latest in a series of health setbacks for Weinstein, who recently had emergency heart surgery. Us Weekly previously confirmed that Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in New York from Rikers Island on September 8 and underwent surgery the next day.
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“We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today to remove fluid on his heart and lungs,” Rothfeld told Us at the time. “He is out of surgery and in recovery. As we have extensively stated before, Mr. Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment. We are grateful to the executive team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for acting swiftly in taking him to Bellevue Hospital.”
Earlier this summer, Weinstein was admitted to Bellevue after contracting COVID-19 and double pneumonia in July. Rothfeld told news outlets at the time that Weinstein was also hospitalized for “conditions that he is still afflicted with on a daily basis such as diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, fluid on his heart and lungs, and various other conditions.”
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison after he was convicted of rape in 2020. However, his sentencing was overturned by the New York State Court of Appeals in April on the basis that the original trial judge had prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, which included allowing women to testify about the allegations that were not a part of the case.
“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s decision stated, according to the Associated Press. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”
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As Weinstein awaits retrial in Manhattan Criminal Court in November, he remains imprisoned on other rape charges based in Los Angeles. He was convicted of those crimes in 2022 and slapped with a 16-year prison sentence. (He was acquitted of one Los Angeles charge involving one of the women who testified in New York.)
On September 12, Weinstein was indicted on new charges by a New York grand jury, which had been convened to hear from women making accusations against him. The indictment was under seal with the charges yet to be specified.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
