Will Harvey Weinstein end up like Jeffrey Epstein? Every move filmed in prison to ensure he doesn't meet same fate
Harvey Weinstein has a lot of cameras focusing on him now as he is reportedly being filmed constantly and watched over in prison in order to ensure that he does not up like disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein who was a convicted pedophile had been found dead in his cell last year in August while awaiting trial at New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Center. His death was ruled as a suicide after he was seen hanging by a bedsheet in his cell. Weinstein, 68, is currently serving around 23 years in prison for rape and is reported to have cameras watching over him and filming his every move at the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York, according to TMZ. As per the publication, a correctional officer follows the former Hollywood producer around while carrying a camera at eye level. This is in addition to the standard level of surveillance a prisoner can expect.
Sources have revealed that the move is in order to avoid a repeat of Epstein's death but also to avoid conspiracy theories which suggest and criminal liabilities if Weinstein meets the same fate. The reported high levels of security and surveillance are a huge difference from Epstein's cell. Epstein was able to take his own life after the guards did not check on him all night with the camera outside his cell not working. His death led to many theories and rumors that he had actually been murdered and did not commit suicide.
Earlier this year in January, graphic pictures from Epstein's autopsy show his bloody neck wound with pictures taken inside his cell showing many nooses made from bedsheets, pills, and electrical cords.
Weinstein had been convicted for sexual assault and rape in February and is appealing. He is awaiting his trial where he will face sexual assault and rape charges which involve five women. The extradition process has been delayed and pushed back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He is facing 11 charges for sexual assault in California and should he be convicted on all charges, he could easily face up to 140 years to life in prison.
There were concerns last week he may have had Covid, but he tested negative, his spokesman said last week. However, he is being closely watched as he has a number of other health issues. His spokesman Juda Engelmayer and Craig Rothfeld issued a statement where they said, "We can report that Mr Weinstein’s fever has dropped but is still being closely monitored. We can also report at this time that he does not have Covid-19."
The statement added that he was being watched closely for health issues such as a heart condition, high blood pressure, and spinal stenosis.
Back in March, he was rushed to the hospital after he complained of chest pains just hours after he received a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault, reports state. A criminal court sentenced him for forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2016, and third-degree rape for assaulting Jessica Mann in 2013. He will not be eligible for parole for the next 20 years.