Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is broke and will likely die in prison if he stays there, his lawyers said Friday at a hearing over whether he should be freed on bail pending an appeal of his conviction.
“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. The defendant is almost blind, and he’s not ambulatory, and he’s on 20 medications,” one of his lawyers, Barry Kamins, told Judge Angela Mazzarelli during a virtual hearing in the Appellate Division First Department.
His conditions reportedly include diabetic retinopathy, coronary artery disease and spinal stenosis, or pressure on his back nerves, which causes a dragging foot.
The producer, who is serving a 23-year sentence at Wende Correctional Facility, was not on the call. His lawyers are asking that he be released on $2 million bail pending the outcome of his appeal. They have not yet filed the appeal. If the bail is approved, Weinstein would have to post another $5 million to stay out because he has also been charged with 11 counts of rape and assault in connection to attacks on five women in L.A.
While his lawyer said he “is not a man of any means at this point. He has no money,” but that “friends of his can put up the money.”
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzi-Orbon mocked the claim that Weinstein is broke and helpless. “Basically, the time he stands to do on the LA case is serial-killer time,” she said, referring to the fact that Weinstein faces as much as 135 years on the charges. “He is a man of extraordinary means, more so than any defendant I have ever prosecuted.”
Mazzarelli said she’s likely issue her decision today (Monday).
