Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving a 23-year jail term at New York state prison, tested positive for Coronavirus, the Niagara Gazette, a local newspaper in Albany, N.Y., reported.
The news, which is yet to be confirmed, has raised concerns as the state prison holds several other prisoners. The local report said that Weinstein has been put into isolation in New York state prison.
The disgraced movie mogul was found guilty on two charges of a criminal sex act and rape in the third-degree, and was sent to the Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison outside Buffalo. Authorities believe he was positive when he entered Wende Correctional Facility from Rikers Island last week.
The Niagara Gazette reported that Weinstein is one of two inmates at Wende Correctional Facility who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Speaking to The Daily Beast, Weinstein's spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said, "our team... has not heard anything like that yet." When asked if Weinstein has tested positive for COVID-19, Weinstein's prison consultant told the Variety: "No one on the legal defense team has been told this. Period." He added, "We cannot confirm that, nor care to comment on speculation."
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) confirmed to Variety that out of 43,000 inmates in custody statewide, only two cases have been confirmed. The Niagara Gazette report cites "officials connected to the state prison system," as their sources who say Weinstein has tested positive for the virus.
As a precaution during the coronavirus crisis, DOCCS suspended all visitors to prison inmates last week.
