Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison and has been serving out his time in the maximum security Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County, New York. Despite his incarceration, though, the former movie mogul hasn’t been far from the headlines. There’s a pending criminal trial in Los Angeles, he’s appealing his sentence and he was recently stripped of his CBE by Queen Elizabeth II.
Now, we’ve gotten word from Deadline that Weinstein is being closely monitored after coming down with a fever, though his representatives are refusing to say whether he’s got COVID-19. His publicist Juda Englemeyer and authorized New York Department of Corrections representative Craig Rothfield released a statement confirming that he’s sick, but will “neither confirm nor deny that Mr. Weinstein has tested positive for COVID-19.”
They went on to explain why he’s particularly at risk, saying the following:
“It should come as no surprise that Mr. Weinstein has numerous maladies and conditions including a heart condition, high blood pressure and spinal stenosis. We are working with the NYSDOCCS and the excellent team at Wende CF to ensure Mr. Weinstein receives the proper medical attention he needs.”
If he’s got it, this wouldn’t be his first run-in with the virus. Soon after his conviction in March, Weinstein tested positive for COVID-19 and was subsequently placed into isolation. He eventually recovered, though if he’s contracted it again, this will stand as a stark reminder to all that beating the virus doesn’t necessarily mean you’re immune.
While it’d be nice to cheer on COVID-19 for once in an “enemy of my enemy” type situation, I hope Harvey Weinstein recovers to serve every single minute of his time behind bars. There are many of his victims across the country and around the world that deserve justice and I want him to have to answer to every one of them as he suffers without the fabulous luxury he spent most of his life in.
