Harvey Weinstein Indicted on Additional Charges in New York

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A grand jury has indicted Harvey Weinstein on additional charges, prosecutors said in New York City criminal court Thursday. 

The additional charges are currently under seal, but Weinstein is expected to be arraigned on the charges at a later date. Prosecutors will file a motion to consolidate those indictments. The indictments are said to be related to sexual assault allegations from three accusers, according to previous media reports.

The hearing comes days after Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in New York to undergo heart surgery. Weinstein’ did not appear in court Thursday as he did not receive medical clearance. Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, said that he had spoken to Weinstein twice Wednesday and that he has “some sort of shunt in his chest” attached to a bag draining fluids from his body, in addition to being hooked up IVs and oxygen. He does not know how long he would be in that condition, but said Weinstein still wanted to appear in court at a later date.

Judge Curtis Farber granted the defense’s motion to hold Weinstein in Bellevue Hospital’s prison ward, rather than Rikers Island. His attorneys argued for the stay at Bellevue, saying that Weinstein’s health could not be properly monitored at Rikers Island and it was necessary to hold him at the hospital to “stop what may be the death of Mr. Weinstein.”Weinstein’s visit to Bellevue this week was his third visit in the recent past, according to the decision read in court by Farber. He has to be “properly monitored” due to the build up for fluids around his heart, which is what led to his most recent surgery and hospital visit, Farber said.

Weinstein was being held at Rikers Island as he awaits a retrial in November, after his 2020 rape conviction in New York, and 23-year sentence, was overturned in April. Weinstein could also face additional indictments, as a grand jury has been impaneled and presented with up to three previously uncharged allegations against him, according to media reports.

“We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today however cannot comment any further than that. As we have extensively stated before, Mr. Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment. We are grateful to the executive team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for acting swiftly in taking him to Bellevue Hospital,” Craig Rothfeld, another representative for Weinstein and Engelmayer said Monday.