Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein underwent emergency heart surgery Monday after experiencing chest pains and getting rushed from Rikers Island to a Manhattan hospital late Sunday, his lawyer said.
Weinstein, 72, who is being held at the city jail as he awaits a second trial on sex crimes charges, was transferred to Bellevue Hospital after calling his attorneys over the weekend reporting “how ill he was,” his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, confirmed to The Post.
Weinstein’s private jail consultant Craig Rothfeld then worked with city officials to get Weinstein moved to the hospital, Aidala said.
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court in New York, July 19, 2024. POOL/AFP via Getty Images“Luckily, they heeded our emergency calls,” the attorney said.
Weinstein called Aidala from his hospital bed Monday morning to tell him that the surgery would soon begin, Aidala told The Post.
Weinstein’s condition as of late Monday afternoon was unclear.
The emergency surgery, first reported by ABC News, comes as the disgraced ex Miramax honcho had been set to appear for a pre-trial hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday.
Weinstein has been back and forth from Bellevue and Rikers’ medical wing several times since being moved back to New York City after his sex crimes conviction and 23-year sentence was overturned in April.
In May, city officials transferred Weinstein back to Rikers after it was reported that he’d been treated to special amenities at Bellevue like a phone, a private bathroom and a television.
