Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein just flew back first class to a New York prison after being sentenced in Los Angeles to 16 years on charges of rape and sexual assault.
He’s already serving 23 years in the Empire State, and appealing his conviction.
But like a twist out of a prison movie, the Miramax tycoon-turned-convict will need to acclimate to a new jail — as he has been reassigned from maximum security Wende Correctional Facility, near Buffalo, to medium security Mohawk Correctional Facility in oneida County, his lawyer tells us.
The rules at the new facility may be more lenient, but his attorney cautions it’s not always easy to assimilate to a new prison.
“It sounds weird — but he had a positive experience in New York [prison] the last time,” Weinstein’s appeals lawyer and talk radio host, Arthur Aidala, told us.
“It’s like going to day camp when you’re a kid,” he said of the situation. “You’re figuring out who’s who, who’s nice and who’s not, who to ask for favors and who not to ask, who will help you and who will hurt you. He’s got to figure things out, and get his legs under him.”
Weinstein — who was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in 2020 — should fit right in, his lawyer thinks. “At his best, he’s very charming,” said Aidala. “He’s got a lot of stories to tell. He’s still a celebrity. I am cautiously optimistic he’ll be OK.”
Weinstein’s team, including his p.r. rep and a prison consultant, said that they’re not happy he has changed prisons.
The reps — including Weinstein’s lawyers, p.r. pro Juda Engelmayer and prison consultant and authorized representative Craig Rothfeld — said in a statement to us: “It was our expectation that he would have been returned to Wende… where he was previously in protective custody and where all the doctors that treated his very serious medical ailments and diminishing eyesight are located.”
They added, “Our primary concerns for Mr. Weinstein are what they have always been: his safety, medical treatment needs and well-being. We have been working with [the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision] to ensure that the same exact formerly applied protective protocols for Mr. Weinstein… be put back in place for his safety without any retribution given, with due regard for and recollection of what happened to Jeffrey Epstein due to inadequate security protocols when he was incarcerated.”
Convicted pedophile Epstein infamously killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell.
When Weinstein was incarcerated in LA during his trial at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, two inmates penned a purported “autobiography” by him, “Harvey Weinstein: My Story,” that they sold on Amazon for $7.99 a pop.
Weinstein’s team subsequently had it taken down.
Meanwhile, Weinstein’s first-class ticket back from LA was paid for by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, which made the call on his travel plans for security purposes.
“It’s not like he’s throwing down his AmEx,” Aidala quipped to us.
