Report: Jailed Harvey Weinstein put in isolation after contracting covid-19
Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein tested positive for covid-19 on Sunday while in a New York prison for rape and sexual assault, the Niagara Gazette reported.
Weinstein is one of two inmates who have tested positive, officials at the Wende Correctional Facility in Western New York told the newspaper.
The 68-year-old was sentenced on March 11 to 23 years in prison for sexually assaulting former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haleyi and raping former actress Jessica Mann.
Officials believe Weinstein contracted the virus at Rikers Island prison in New York City, where he was being held until Wednesday. The jail has struggled to contain an outbreak of the disease inside of the facility where 38 guards and inmates have tested positive for it.
The board overseeing New York City’s jails urged officials to start releasing vulnerable populations and those being held on low-level offenses as the coronavirus outbreak hit the federal jail, the Associated Press reported.
Bret Gibson is a TribLive digital producer. A South Hills resident, he started working for the Trib in 1998. He can be reached at bgibson@triblive.com.
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