Harvey Weinstein, Movie Producer, Diagnosed With Chronic Leukemia While In Prison

Harvey Weinstein, the movie mogul, has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.

The 72-year-old convicted rapist has been receiving treatment at Rikers Island for this rare type of bone marrow cancer, according to NBC News.

Throughout the summer, Weinstein was hospitalized multiple times for various health issues, including COVID-19, double pneumonia, and complications that required fluid to be drained from his heart and lungs.

Currently serving a rape sentence at Rikers Island, he was transferred to Bellevue Hospital late Sunday due to serious medical conditions. His attorney, Arthur Aidala, warned jail officials that “this guy is going to die on your watch if you don’t do something.”

Weinstein has consistently denied any allegations of rape or sexual assault. He remains in custody in New York while awaiting a retrial in Manhattan, which is tentatively set to start on November 12. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing this Thursday.

Since returning to Rikers Island from state prison in April—following an appeals court’s decision to overturn his 2020 convictions and grant a new trial—Weinstein has frequently been hospitalized at Bellevue. In September, he underwent pericardiocentesis surgery after experiencing chest pains.

In July, he was hospitalized for COVID-19 and pneumonia in both lungs, according to his representatives. He also spent ten days at Bellevue in April, with Aidala describing his health as being “somewhat of a train wreck.”

After his February 2020 conviction, Weinstein left the court in an ambulance, citing chest pains and high blood pressure, and later had a stent inserted to unblock an artery. Following his sentencing, he returned to the hospital with further chest pains and tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after being moved to a state prison near Buffalo.

In 2021, as Weinstein was being extradited to California to face additional rape charges, his lawyers revealed a range of health issues, including diabetes, coronary artery disease, anemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic back pain, sciatica, chronic leg pain, arthritis, and serious vision problems.

He has been seen using a wheelchair during recent court appearances.