Disgraced
Hollywood
mogul
Harvey
Weinstein
has
tested
positive
for
the
novel
coronavirus,
US
media
has
reported.
Weinstein,
68,
is
in
prison
in
northern
New
York
state
after
being
sentenced
to
23
years
in
jail
for
rape
and
sexual
assault.
The
fallen
film
producer's
diagnosis
was
first
reported
on
Sunday
evening
by
local
paper
the
Niagara
Gazette.
Weinstein's
spokespeople
have
declined
to
comment
to
US
media
on
the
subject.
The
New
York
state
Department
of
Corrections
did
not
respond
when
contacted
by
AFP
for
confirmation
of
the
reports.
Weinstein
was
transferred
Wednesday
to
a
prison
near
Buffalo,
350
miles
(560
kilometers)
northwest
of
New
York
City.
Prior
to
his
transfer,
he
stayed
at
Rikers
Island
prison
and
a
Manhattan
hospital,
where
he
was
treated
for
chest
pains.
Crowded
US
prisons
have
the
potential
to
become
hotbeds
for
coronavirus
infections.
Last
week,
guards
at
Rikers
and
New
York's
Sing
Sing
prison
tested
positive
for
the
virus,
local
media
reported.
As
of
Sunday,
the
virus
has
killed
417
people
in
the
US
out
of
more
than
33,000
cases,
according
to
a
tracker
managed
by
Johns
Hopkins
University.
Weinstein
was
convicted
in
February
of
a
criminal
sexual
act
in
the
first
degree
and
rape
in
the
third
degree,
while
being
cleared
of
predatory
sexual
assault
charges.
He
was
convicted
of
raping
ex-actress
Jessica
Mann
in
2013
and
of
forcibly
performing
oral
sex
on
former
production
assistant
Mimi
Haleyi
in
2006.
Nearly
90
women,
including
Angelina
Jolie
and
Salma
Hayek,
have
leveled
sexual
misconduct
allegations
against
Weinstein,
the
Oscar-winning
producer
of
"Shakespeare
in
Love" and
numerous
other
critical
and
box
office
hits.