Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a prison sentence for sexual assault and rape, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the head of the state corrections officers union.
Weinstein, 68, has been placed in isolation at Wende Correctional Facility, said Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.
Powers said he learned that the test came back positive on Sunday morning and is concerned about the corrections officers, who he said lack proper protective equipment, while several staff have been quarantined.
Weinstein arrived at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison east of Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday after being housed at New York City’s Rikers Island jail.
He was sentenced to 23 years in prison on March 11 for sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping Jessica Mann, a onetime aspiring actress.
Following the sentencing, Weinstein spent time at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for heart problems, according to his spokesman, Juda Engelmayer.
He also has other medical issues, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
A lawyer for Weinstein said on Sunday night that his legal team had not been notified of the coronavirus diagnosis.
Two prisoners at the Wende Facility have confirmed cases of COVID-19, a state prison official told Reuters adding that he could not comment on any individual prisoner’s medical record.
The official said that, with each confirmed case, the Department of Corrections works with the Department of Health to identify potentially exposed people.
Weinstein’s conviction was hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men.
More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct stretching back decades, allegations that he has denied, saying any sex was consensual.
He also faces separate sexual assault charges in Los Angeles.
Weinstein won an Academy Award for producing 'Shakespeare in Love' and was responsible for other acclaimed films including 'Pulp Fiction,' 'The English Patient' and 'Gangs of New York'.
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