Harvey Weinstein is still awaiting his March 11 sentencing from the prison ward of Bellevue Hospital, his spokesperson confirmed to TheWrap on Wednesday, but it is not immediately clear if or when he will be moved from the hospital.
“The decision to move will be solely that of the [Department of Correction], and no matter where [he] might go, if anywhere else, he will be under the care of DOC prison medical care,” Juda Engelmayer said in an email.
A representative for the DOC did not comment beyond confirming that Weinstein was in custody and listing the general steps that could be taken to “address detainee safety and security,” which include protective custody, additional supervision, and separate or substitute jurisdiction housing.
Weinstein’s attorneys have requested that their client be housed in a medical unit at Rikers Island, where he was originally headed before being diverted to Bellevue Hospital because of chest pains on Monday after the announcement of his verdict.
And if the DOC does indeed grant this request, Weinstein could potentially be receiving special treatment in the form of a double-sized private cell with a TV, shower, bathroom and a phone, the New York Times reports.
“It’s like a little hotel, like your own little apartment,” a former city jail official who spoke with the Times said of Rikers’ medical unit. “You have everything you need. It’s very isolated. It’s a way to guarantee his safety.”
City jail officials could also be considering moving Weinstein away from Rikers Island, according to Joe Russo, the president of the Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Wardens Association.
Russo told The City that Weinstein could be transferred to facilities in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, or Albany for his own safety. (Attempts by TheWrap to reach Russo on Wednesday afternoon were unsuccessful.)
“He’s very high-profile and you can’t put him with somebody else,” Russo said.