Harvey Weinstein ‘wants to stay in New York hospital and not go to prison before sentencing hearing next month’
HARVEY Weinstein is allegedly trying to get officials to let him stay in the hospital until his sentencing hearing this month instead of going to Rikers Island prison.
A source close to the disgraced Hollywood media mogul told The Sun of the 67-year-old’s apparent attempts to avoid in .
was found guilty on February 24 of against two women and was led out in handcuffs.
But instead of going to Rikers, Weinstein in Manhattan for high blood pressure and , his lawyers said.
On Sunday, nearly a week later, he’s still in the hospital.
A spokesperson for Weinstein couldn’t comment on the claim he’s trying to stay hospitalized to avoid jail, but told The Sun Weinstein is at Bellevue for the time being.
On Saturday, the convicted rapist was spotted lounging at the hospital, according to .
A source told the news outlet Weinstein has been “free to roam” around and hasn’t been handcuffed during his hospital stay.
He’s said to be “walking with the aid of a wheelchair,” and had been “holding on to its handles to go to the TV room, using it as a walker.”
On Friday morning, “he spent about an hour” in the TV room before he “walked himself back.”
During his trial, Weinstein notably used a walker to get into the courthouse.
But after he was convicted, he was led out a side door in cuffs .
Weinstein is reportedly getting 24/7 protection at the hospital from the Department of Corrections’ Emergency Service Unit.
Per WPIX, Weinstein’s walker was removed once he was placed in protective custody.
The source added to the news outlet: "Harvey ."
If Weinstein gets discharged from the hospital, he’ll likely end up in a protective unit at Rikers.
Once he’s sentenced, he’ll be moved to a state prison instead.
It’s up to the city’s corrections department to decide where inmates are housed.
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Judge James Burke has said he’d ask that Weinstein be placed in the jail’s North Infirmary Command, where he’d have “something tantamount to protective custody.”
Weinstein’s lawyer, Donna Rotunno, told the judge Weinstein has back injuries stemming from a car crash last summer and a condition that requires him to have shots in his eyes so that he doesn’t go blind.
Weinstein is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11. He faces up to 29 years in prison.
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