Who is Alexandra Vino? Harvey Weinstein's 27-yr-old girlfriend visits him in prison: 'She looked so happy'
Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein's girlfriend paid him a visit in prison on Friday, December 4, according to reports. Actress Alexandra Vino visited prisoner number 20B0584 inside the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, 20 miles east of Buffalo.
The 68-year-old convicted rapist, who is now eight-and-a-half months into his 23-year sentence was seen sitting and chatting with the 27-year-old actress, according to a report by Daily Mail. “They were in a back room that is kept specially for prisoners in IPC — involuntary protective custody,” said a witness. Prisons in New York restarted inmate visits in August after halting them at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, with the pandemic raging again in New York, especially around Buffalo, a lockdown could soon be on the cards again. Vino took advantage of the situation to see her multi-millionaire felon boyfriend. “She had to keep away from him, there is no hugging or touching now, and of course, they both had to wear a mask,” said the source. “But they sat close together, and I am sure if it weren't for the Covid-19 restrictions, they would have been holding hands.”
Vino arrived at the prison bright and early and stayed until visiting time ended at 3 pm, the source said. “She just looked so happy to see him,” said the source. “Her hair was neatly pulled back and she went to the coffee machine several times and brought back drinks for both of them.”
A criminal court sentenced the 67-year-old after his convictions 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. Weinstein's sexual assaults were brought to the fore through the landmark #MeToo movement.
At least six of his accusers sobbed and hugged one another in front of the courtroom after the disgraced film producer was finally given a prison sentence. Vino was first linked to Weinstein late last year shortly before his conviction. While he was still out on bail, she was seen canoodling with him at Manhattan hotspots Downtime and Socialista and even stood up for him when a woman approached him protesting his presence, the New York Post reported.
She told the paper, “Everyone seems to f**king hate Harvey but they don't realize they don't really hate Harvey.” She continued, “They are being told how to feel. He is a scapegoat for this entire #MeToo movement and they've destroyed his life. It's been like a human sacrifice.” The actress added, “People get 23 years in prison for murdering people, not for what he did.”
Late last year, the couple checked into the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank, New Jersey, and had to pay extra for smoking weed in a non-smoking room, the Hollywood Reporter said. Perhaps suffering from a sugar-rush after all that pot, the loved-up couple ordered “several ice creams” to their room.
Actress Vino however admits to nothing more than friendship with her criminal boyfriend, “I’d like to keep my private life private.” Nonetheless, she defends him more passionately than his own lawyers. Vino talked to The Post about her childhood saying she grew up in New Jersey and on the Upper West Side, splitting her time between her divorced parents. Her mother was a homemaker and her father a rock musician. She did not want to reveal her parents’ names.
Vino began acting as a child, being ferried to commercial auditions in Manhattan by her Russian maternal grandmother. She also spent months in LA when her dad was touring and working as a musician there, she said. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and, at 17, joined the Actors Studio where, she said, she was mentored by Martin Landau.
Vino said she met Weinstein years ago while dating a man — allegedly the son of a major, now-deceased producer who made films with Weinstein — who worked for him. “I’ve known Harvey a very long time,” Vino told The Post.
“I’ve seen women competing to be with him, begging to be with him. I have seen it with a lot of men in the industry. I’ve also seen how generous he can be — what a godfather he was to people. I find it horrifying what the press did to him and I think there was an agenda. I’m all for women’s rights and the women’s movement. But can’t we give women equal pay and equal rights without killing men?”
Weinstein, the disgraced movie-studio mogul, has been publicly accused of sexual assault and harassment by women including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Annabella Sciorra, Ashley Judd and more than 100 others.