Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday was transferred to a maximum security prison in upstate New York, US, to serve a 23-year sentence for sexual assault and rape.
Weinstein (68) was taken to the Wende Correctional Facility, located in Alden, east of Buffalo, according to the website of New York state’s department of corrections.
Weinstein’s earliest possible release date is November 9th, 2039, according to the website.
Weinstein, once one of Hollywood's most influential men, was found guilty on February 24th by a Manhattan jury of sexually assaulting a former production assistant and raping a former aspiring actor. His conviction was hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men.
Prosecutors portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who had manipulated women with promises of career advancement in Hollywood, coaxing them to hotel rooms or private apartments and then overpowering and violently attacking them.
More than 100 women, including famous actors, accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct stretching back decades. He has denied the allegations, saying any sex was consensual.
Weinstein faces separate sexual assault charges in Los Angeles.
After his sentencing on March 11th, Weinstein was taken to New York's Rikers Island jail. Hours later, he was transported to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for ongoing heart problems. He was sent back to Rikers earlier this week, his spokesman Juda Engelmayer said.
Weinstein’s defence expects to file an appeal in July.
Mark David Chapman, who murdered Beatle John Lennon in 1980, served some of his time at Wende Correctional Facility.
Weinstein 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. – Reuters