Imprisoned film producer Weinstein undergoes heart surgery

ABC News quoted Weinstein's representative as saying he was admitted to New York's Bellevue Hospital “due to multiple health issues.”

“We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a heart procedure and surgery today, but cannot comment further,” Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer said in a statement.

Weinstein is being held at Rikers Island prison, where he is serving a 16-year sentence after being found guilty of rape by a California court.

He was also convicted by a New York court in 2020 of raping and sexually assaulting actress Jessica Mann and forcing oral sex on a production assistant. In that case, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

However, an appeals court overturned the ruling in April – a surprising reversal in one of the defining cases of the #MeToo movement.

He is now waiting for the case to be retried.

Prosecutors said they may file new sexual assault charges against him before retrial. Weinstein was scheduled to attend a procedural hearing in the case on Thursday.

In the Californian case, his lawyers also argued for a retrial.

Arthur Aidala, Weinstein's lawyer, said in July that his client's health had deteriorated in prison.

The once powerful movie mogul appeared in court in a wheelchair, looking frail and pale.

“He is no longer a young man, he is a sick man,” Aidala said at the time. “His diabetes is going through the roof.”

In 2017, the allegations against Weinstein helped launch the #MeToo movement, a turning point for women fighting against sexual misconduct.

More than 80 women accused him of harassment, sexual assault or rape, including prominent actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.

Weinstein says all of the sexual relationships in question were consensual.

He and his brother Bob founded Miramax Films in 1979, a major Hollywood studio behind hits as diverse as “Pulp Fiction,” “There Will Be Blood” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

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