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Former Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a 23-year prison sentence for sexual assault and rape, has tested positive for coronavirus.
Key points:
- Weinstein's legal team had not been notified of the coronavirus diagnosis
- Weinstein arrived at Wende Correctional Facility last Wednesday
- Two prisoners at the Wende Facility have confirmed cases of COVID-19
Weinstein, 68, has been placed in isolation at Wende Correctional Facility, according to Michael Powers, the president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.
Mr Powers said he learned the test came back positive on Sunday morning.
Weinstein arrived at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison east of Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday after being housed at New York City's Rikers Island jail.
A lawyer for Weinstein said on Sunday night his legal team had not been notified of the coronavirus diagnosis.
"Given Mr Weinstein's state of health, we are of course concerned, if this is the case, and we are vigilantly monitoring the situation," New York-based lawyer Imran Ansari said.
Two prisoners at the Wende Facility have confirmed cases of COVID-19, a state prison official told Reuters.
The official said he could not comment on any individual prisoner's medical record.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison on March 11 for sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping Jessica Mann, a onetime aspiring actress.
Following the sentencing, Weinstein spent time at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for heart problems, according to his spokesman, Juda Engelmayer.
He also has other medical issues, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
Weinstein's conviction last month was hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men.
More than 100 women, including famous actors, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct stretching back decades.
He has denied the allegations, saying any sex was consensual.
Weinstein also faces separate sexual assault charges in Los Angeles.
Your questions on coronavirus answered
The former movie producer won an Academy Award for producing Shakespeare in Love and was responsible for other acclaimed films including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient and Gangs of New York.
What the experts are saying about coronavirus:
Reuters
Topics: prisons-and-punishment, law-crime-and-justice, film-movies, sexual-offences, covid-19, health, respiratory-diseases, diseases-and-disorders, infectious-diseases-other, united-states