NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 9: Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Criminal Court as Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg prepares to file new charges in the rape case against him on July 9, 2024 in New York City. Weinstein’s original conviction was overturned after an appeals court found there was too much evidence not directly related to the charges allowed in the trial. (Photo by Andrew Kelly – Pool/Getty Images)
Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood mogul whose alleged sexual misconduct fueled the #MeToo movement and who was recently indicted on new charges, has chronic myeloid leukemia, two sources told NBC News.
The sources added that Weinstein is currently undergoing treatment while in prison at Rikers Island in New York. Chronic myeloid leukemia is an uncommon form of cancer of the bone marrow, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In a statement to NBC News Monday night, Weinstein's legal health care representative Craig Rothfeld said in part, "Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein's privacy, we will offer no further comment."
The news of Weinstein's diagnosis comes amid a myriad of health issues. In September, Weinstein underwent emergency heart surgery to alleviate a significant amount of fluid from his lungs and heart.
In July, he was hospitalized and tested positive for Covid-19 and double pneumonia.
Weinstein's health issues come amid his legal battle with Manhattan prosecutors over their efforts to combine his original 2020 sexual crimes with a new criminal indictment. Prosecutors have sought to consolidate the new charges with the ones previously brought against Weinstein so that they could be tried in court together.
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Weinstein, who was serving a 23-year sentence, saw his New York conviction overturned earlier this year. That came after New York's Court of Appeals found that the judge in the landmark trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
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But Weinstein did not walk free amid the court's decision because he was convicted in 2022 of rape in Los Angeles and sentenced to 16 years in prison. His legal team is currently appealing that conviction.
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