Disgraced former movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with a rare bone cancer at New York’s Rikers Island prison, where he is awaiting a retrial on rape charges.
NBC News said a pair of unnamed sources divulged that Weinstein has chronic myeloid leukemia, but his representatives have condemned speculation about his health.
“Craig Rothfeld, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized legal health care representative in New York state, expresses profound dismay at the speculation surrounding Mr. Weinstein’s medical condition. It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse. Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment,” Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmeyer told Variety.
Weinstein has remained in prison since the New York Court of Appeals in April overturned his 2020 conviction on charges. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison. His retrial is scheduled for next month.
He also was convicted of rape, forced oral copulation and another sexual misconduct in Los Angeles in 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison; that conviction was appealed in June.
Weinstein pleaded not guilty to another sex crime charge in New York last month.
New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg wants to merge the 2020 case with the new charges, while Weinstein’s lawyers seek to keep the cases separate, The Associated Press reports.
Weinstein’s health has suffered in prison. In July, he was hospitalized for COVID-19 and pneumonia in both lungs, according to the AP. In September, he returned to Bellevue Hospital in New York City for surgery to remove fluid from around his heart.
His lawyers contend that the diet in prison has caused him to develop increasingly poor eyesight and diabetes.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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