Weinstein, 67, was transferred to the Manhattan hospital Wednesday evening, following chest pains he experienced while at Rikers Island jail, according to his spokesman Juda Engelmayer.
The determination to move Weinstein was made by staff at Rikers Island for his safety. He will be evaluated and likely will stay overnight, Engelmayer said.
Weinstein, whose case helped ignite the global #MeToo movement, had faced between five and 29 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape.
The jury, made up of seven men and five women, deliberated for five days. The charges were based on Miriam Haley’s testimony that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006 and Jessica Mann’s testimony that he raped her in 2013. Four other women also testified.
Weinstein was previously treated at Bellevue Hospital in February, after experiencing heart palpitations and high blood pressure, his attorney Donna Rotunno said at the time.
Doctors at Bellevue performed a heart procedure, inserting a stent before transferring him to the infirmary unit at Rikers Island.
The ex-producer, who used a walker throughout the trial, has “significant medical issues,” Rotunno said in February.
Weinstein’s attorneys had previously asked that he be sentenced to five years in prison. They argued that with his frail health, anything longer would constitute a de facto life sentence.
The Rikers Island jail has its own issues, known for its violence and poor conditions. Last October, the New York City Council voted to close the jail and open four new borough-based facilities instead.
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