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Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with leukemia while imprisoned at Rikers Island in New York, according to reports.
Sources told NBC News that the disgraced Hollywood tycoon and convicted rapist is undergoing treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia, a rare form of bone marrow cancer.
It comes after Weinstein was rushed to hospital from his prison on Rikers Island in New York for emergency heart surgery last month due to “a massive amount of fluid in his lungs”.
The longtime Miramax and Weinstein Company boss, whose outing as an abuser in 2017 kicked off the global #MeToo movement, is currently awaiting retrial in New York for charges of rape and sexual assault.
His previous conviction in New York was overturned in April due to “egregious errors” by the original trial judge, but a separate prison sentence for rape and sexual assault in California remains in force.
Craig Rothfeld, Weinstein’s legal healthcare representative in New York State, told The Independent of his “profound dismay at the speculation” surrounding Weinstein’s medical condition.
“It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse and speculation,” he said in a statement.
“Out of respect for Mr Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment.”
Weinstein was first arrested in New York City in 2018 after more than 80 women accused him of rape or assault the previous year.
At the time, he was one of Hollywood’s most well-connected and powerful producers, known for a long string of Oscar-winning films including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, and Gangs of New York.
Behind the scenes, however, alleged victims said that had used his power in the film industry to coerce them or attempt to coerce them into sexual acts, promising to advance their careers or threatening to ruin them.
In 2020, Weinstein was found guilty in New York of raping and assaulting two women and sentenced to 23 years in prison. However, the Court of Appeals found that the trial judge had erred by allowing prosecutors to call witnesses whose allegations were not related to the charges at hand.
Those witnesses included actress and model Tarale Wulff, who said Weinstein raped her in 2005, actress and producer Dawn Dunning who said he put his hand up her skirt in 2004 and Lauren Young, who said Weinstein masturbated in front of her and groped her in 2013.
The decision sparked outrage from Weinstein accusers such as Ashley Judd, the first actor to come forward publicly against him, who said the decision was “unfair to survivors.”
Weinstein maintains his innocence and has repeatedly claimed that all his sexual activity was consensual.