Harvey Weinstein moved to jail after having heart surgery
Harvey Weinstein has been moved to Rikers Island jail in New York City after undergoing heart surgery.
The ex-movie mogul was convicted last month of two sexual assaults, including rape, at his trial on 25 February. After the trial, he complained of chest pains and was taken to hospital where he had a stent implant to remove a blockage, a spokesperson said. He is due to be sentenced on 11 March, and faces up to 25 years in prison for the convictions relating to two women. Weinstein was cleared of the most serious counts of predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape. But he was found guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act. His lawyers say he will appeal. Many of Weinstein's accusers, along with other critics, had expressed frustration at the news of his hospital transfer, arguing that he should be held in jail. His lawyers told local media that neither he nor they had any power over the decision. "It was a New York City Department of Corrections decision, that that was the most suitable place for a 67-year-old man with a laundry list of illnesses who went from being in a walker to being in a wheelchair," lawyer Arthur Aidala told The Hollywood Reporter. The former movie executive still faces charges in Los Angeles of assaulting two women in 2013, and there are other cases under review. In December 2019, lawyers said they reached a tentative $25m (£19m) deal with some accusers. In all, at least 80 women had accused him of sexual misconduct stretching back decades, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman and Salma Hayek. Most of those complaints, however, have not led to criminal charges, as they are beyond the statute of limitations - meaning they happened too long ago. The allegations were at the centre of the #MeToo movement that prompted women to go public with misconduct allegations against powerful men. The movie executive once enjoyed phenomenal success with Oscar winners such Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, The King's Speech and Shakespeare in Love. What did the trial deal with? Weinstein - who denied all charges - was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, in 2013. The judge ordered him sent to jail immediately. A third-degree rape charge in New York is defined as engaging in sexual intercourse with a person who is incapable of consent, or under age 17, or who has not given consent for a reason other than the inability to consent. Prosecutors portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who used his position of power in Hollywood to manipulate and attack women. The defence team said sex between the movie executive and the accusers was consensual, and that the accusers simply wanted to advance their careers. The allegations amounted to "regret renamed as rape", the defence said. Two of the accusers kept in contact with Weinstein and had sex with him after the alleged attacks, they pointed out.