Harvey Weinstein's lawyers say the disgraced media mogul is broke and will die in prison if he is not released because he is 'blind and on 20 different medications'
Harvey Weinstein is allegedly broke and will die in prison if he is not released, his attorney said during a hearing on Friday.
The disgraced media mogul is currently serving a 23-year sentence at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault in February.
Weinstein's attorney argued before Judge Angela Mazzarelli during a virtual hearing in the Appellate Division First Department, reported Pagae Six.
Barry Kamins cited the 68-year-old former producer's ailing health as reason for why should be freed while appealing his rape conviction.
Harvey Weinstein's attorney argued during a hearing on Friday that he should be freed on bail while appealing his rape conviction because otherwise he will die in prison due to his multiple health issues. Pictured: Weinstein appears at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, July 2018
Weinstein's attorneys say he is wheelchair-bound, going blind, suffering from coronary artery disease and has an enlarged prostate. Pictured: Weinstein leaves from court in New York City, January 2020
'[Weinstein's] physical and mental condition has so deteriorated, I do not think it's an overstatement to say that if he is not released as part of this application, his chances of surviving in prison are rather low,' Kamins said, according to Page Six.
'The defendant is almost blind, and he's not ambulatory, and he's on 20 medications.'
Kamins added that Weinstein is currently wheelchair-bound and suffers from a number of medical conditions.
These include coronary artery disease; diabetic retinopathy, which occurs when diabetes damages the retina and spinal stenosis, which occurs when the spinal cord is compressed.
Court documents submitted by his attorneys also reveal Weinstein has an enlarged aorta and prostate.
Just hours after his sentence was handed down, the media mogul was hospitalized with chest pain.
He also tested positive for coronavirus in prison in March, but recovered after 23 days in isolation without showing severe symptoms.
Last week, Weinstein's attorneys asked that he be released on $2 million bail pending the outcome of an appeal of his New York rape conviction.
They cited his philanthropy work and his films, claiming his Hollywood movies 'shined a spotlight' on social issues including sexual assault.
He would also need to post an additional $5 million bail because of his upcoming Los Angeles trial.
He is currently facing 11 counts, including rape and sexual battery, involving five women in California, after the Los Angeles District Attorney announced six new charges this month.
Weinstein's attorney said the convicted rapist is broke, but that he has connections to help him be released from prison.
'He is not a man of any means at this point,' Kamins said, according to Page Six.
'He has no money, [but] friends of his can put up the money.'
The attorneys say he does not have any money to pay the $2 million bond, plus $5 million related to his upcoming Los Angeles trial, but that his friends can pay. Pictured: Weinstein (right) enters New York City Criminal Court in New York City on February 24
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, for rape and sexual assault. Pictured, left to right: Taylor Swift, Este Haim, Jaime King, Weinstein and Lorde attend The Weinstein Company & Netflix's 2015 Golden Globes After Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, January 2015
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said she does not believe Weinstein is broke, citing that he recently sold a $60 million property.
She argued that if he were released from prison, he would have motive to flee and has the resources to do so.
'Basically, the time he stands to do on [the Los Angeles] case is serial-killer time,' she said, in reference to the Weinstein facing up to 135 years in prison, according to Page Six.
'He is a man of extraordinary means, more so than any defendant I have ever prosecuted.'
After the hearing, which lasted about an hour, Judge Mazzarelli said she would likely issue a decision on Monday, reported Page Six.
Weinstein was found guilty on February 24 on two of five counts: one count of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and one count of rape in the third degree.
He was sentenced the following month to 23 years in prison - 20 years for forcibly performing oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and three years for the third-degree rape of Jessica Mann in 2013.
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