|
 By Gabriella Borter, Karen Freifeld and Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein
was in good spirits on Tuesday, as he accepted visitors while
under police guard at a Manhattan hospital, his lawyer said,
despite having been convicted a day earlier of sexual assault
and rape.
Weinstein had been expected to move to New York City's notorious
Rikers Island jail complex following the verdict, but was
admitted late Monday night to Bellevue Hospital a few miles
away.
One of his lawyers, Arthur Aidala, told reporters after meeting
with Weinstein that his 67-year-old client "looked like he was
in good shape" but was "not a picture of health by any stretch
of the imagination," and doctors would decide when to release
him.
"He was upbeat," though "obviously he prefers being in his own
house," Aidala said.
Media reports said Weinstein had experienced chest pain or heart
palpitations before being admitted to Bellevue, a public
hospital.
Aidala said Weinstein was "somewhat flabbergasted by the
verdict" and "cautiously optimistic" about his eventual appeal.
"I almost feel emboldened by Mr. Weinstein's spirits and his
desire to continue to fight these charges," Aidala added.
Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting former production
assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress
Jessica Mann in 2013.
Jurors acquitted Weinstein on the two top charges, predatory
sexual assault, which carried a maximum life sentence.
Those counts required jurors to consider accusations by the
actress Annabella Sciorra, who testified that Weinstein raped
her in the early 1990s.
The actress Ellen Barkin, a friend of Sciorra, tweeted on
Tuesday: "Convicted rapist harvey weinstein is still not in
jail. He is in a private suite in Bellevue hospital. This is not
what the jury had in mind."
MILESTONE FOR #METOO
Weinstein's guilty verdict was a milestone for the #MeToo
movement, which was fueled by his case starting in late 2017.
The movement inspired women to accuse hundreds of powerful men -
in entertainment, business, media, politics and other fields -
of sexual misconduct.
Weinstein faces up to 29 years in prison, and is scheduled to be
sentenced on March 11.
Aidala said he may seek an earlier sentencing date so Weinstein
can appeal sooner. New York law requires a defendant to be
sentenced first, he said.
[to top of second column] |
One of film
producer Harvey Weinstein's lawyers Arthur Aidala speaks to the
media outside Bellevue Hospital a day after Weinstein was found
guilty of rape in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York,
U.S., February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
He quoted Weinstein as saying after the verdict: "I'm innocent. I'm
innocent. How can this happen in America?"
More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. He
has denied the accusations, and said any sexual encounters were
consensual.
Weinstein was a key force behind acclaimed films such as "The
English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love," which both won Oscars
for best picture.
He had been free on bail during the trial, and on Monday morning ate
breakfast with his lawyers at an upscale hotel.
HEALTH ISSUES
Weinstein, however, lost that freedom when the trial judge, Justice
James Burke of state Supreme Court in Manhattan, ordered he be
jailed following the conviction. Court officers led him away in
handcuffs.
Aidala said Weinstein was not being handcuffed at Bellevue.
Weinstein was admitted to a unit that provides medical care for
inmates.
A spokesman said earlier on Tuesday that Weinstein suffers from
diabetes and high blood pressure.
During the trial, the former producer appeared frail and used a
walker.
The Rikers Island jail complex, whose main building went up in 1932,
has long been plagued by violence and neglect. New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio vowed in 2017 to close it within a decade.
Jail officials could place Weinstein in a private or semi-private
cell to help ensure his safety.
Weinstein also faces several felony charges in Los Angeles in
connection with his alleged sexual assaults against two women in
2013.
His former film studio, Weinstein Co, filed for bankruptcy in March
2018 and is being liquidated.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter, Maria Caspani, Karen Freifeld,
Brendan Pierson and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Noeleen
Walder, Grant McCool and Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
