Harvey Weinstein hit with fresh charges as he’s forced to miss hearing while he recovers from emergency heart surgery

DISGRACED movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on new charges days after he recovers from an emergency heart surgery.

Weinstein , who was rushed from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital on Tuesday after experiencing chest pains, did not attend Thursday’s court hearing when prosecutors announced the new charges.

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AP:Associated Press

Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s attorney, told Judge Curtis Farber his client “almost died” following his recent hospitalization.

The ailing convicted sex offender’s health has rapidly declined since his legal troubles began in 2019, his defense team has said.

Details about the impending charges were not disclosed in court .

However, prosecutors said they plan to arraign Weinstein, 72, on the new charges at an undetermined date.

The new charges could stem from a grand jury hearing on September 5, where they heard new evidence from three victims who accused Weinstein of sexual assault, according to CNN .

Two of the alleged assaults occurred between 2005 and 2006, while a third woman claims she was assaulted in 2016, the outlet reported.

AILING HARVEY

Aidala described to the court how his client was hooked up to IVs and an oxygen tank.

“He has sort of a shunt in his chest, which is attached to a bag, which is draining fluids from his body,” Aidala said.

The defense attorney said he has spoken to Weinstein since his medical scare, and he plans to attend future court hearings when he recovers.

Aidala said it was unclear how much longer Weinstein will be hospitalized.

The prosecution granted the defense’s motion to keep Weinstein holed up in Bellevue Hospital’s prison ward after Aidala argued the lack of medical supervision at the notorious jail.

“Inattention at Rikers carries very real risks,” Judge Farber said.

“[Weinstein] could find himself again in crisis.”

Weinstein’s next court hearing is scheduled for September 18.

The shamed Hollywood mogul is slated to be retried on felony sex charges in New York on November 12 after a court of appeals overturned his 2020 conviction .

In April, a New York Court of Appeals ruled Weinstein did not receive a fair trial after the presiding judge testimony from multiple victims who accused the defendant of sexual assault but were not the direct subject of the allegations for which he was on trial.

Actress Jessica Mann and film producer Miriam “Mimi” Haley , whose initial allegations against Weinstein led to criminal charges in New York, are expected to testify again in his retrial .

Weinstein has remained defiant, denying any wrongdoing.

In June, Weinstein’s defense team filed an appeal to overturn his conviction in Los Angeles .

Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in December 2022 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The Los Angeles conviction came nearly three years after his guilty verdict in New York.

Harvey Weinstein Trial Timeline

• October 2017 : The New York Times reports the film mogul, whose Miramax film company won its first Oscar in 1997 for The English Patient, has reached legal settlements with eight women who accused him of sexual harassment spanning over 30 years. He is fired from his company, his wife leaves him, and the #Metoo movement is born.
• May 2018 : Weinstein was arrested on charges of rape and a criminal sex act involving alleged assaults of two women.
• June 2018 : He pleads not guilty to both charges and a third charge. One of them is eventually dropped.
• December 2019 : Weinstein agrees to a $25 million settlement with a number of women who accused him of wrongdoing.
• January 2020 : The Los Angeles County District Attorney announces a criminal indictment against Weinstein.
• That same month, Weinstein’s New York trial began.
• February 2020 : After five days of deliberation, a jury in New York convicted Weinstein of rape in the third degree and sexual assault in the first degree.
• March 2020 : Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years and transferred to maximum security prison.
• October 2022 : Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial begins.
• December 2022 : A jury convicts Weinstein of raping a model in 2013.
• February 2023 : Weinstein is sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison.
• April 2024 : His New York conviction is overturned by a New York Appeals Court, and a new trial is ordered.
• July 2024 : A judge sets Weinstein’s retrial for November 12.
• September 2024 : Prosecutors announced new charges against Weinstein.