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Topics: no-article-matching, US News
Shola Lee
Harvey Weinstein has issued an apology after being caught with an illegal item in jail.
Weinstein was reportedly caught with the item last November during a search at the Correctional Treatment Centre of the Twin Towers jail in Los Angeles in which he is currently serving his sentence.
In 2020, the film producer was convicted of third-degree rape and a criminal sex act, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
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After the illegal item – Milk Duds – were found in Weinstein's possession, he reportedly told the officers that he had brought them when he was extradited from New York in July last year, as per Variety.
According to the Independent, jail authorities believe that the only way the former producer could have acquired the chocolate is through a visit from an attorney,
Yesterday, March 3, Weinstein issued an apology, telling E!News: 'This was an innocent misunderstanding.
'It will not happen again. I have been a model inmate, following the rules and regulations and I am sincerely sorry,',he added.
Mark Werksman and Alan Jackson, Weinstein’s lead attorneys, also apologised for the incident, saying: 'We have been informed about this and are very sorry it happened.
'It had not happened before, and never happened since. Harvey has been a model inmate and intends to continue as such.'
One of the survivors of Harvey Weinstein, Miriam Haley, said in a victim statement that Weinstein had 'not only stripped me of my dignity as a human being and as a woman, it diminished my confidence and faith in myself'.
Following the trial, Weinstein was facing other charges from people who came forward against him.
In 2021, he pled not guilty to four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts, alleged to have occurred between 2004 and 2013.
All 11 charges could amount to a sentence of 140 years.
The allegations against Weinstein sparked the global #MeToo movement, which saw people across the world recount their experiences of sexual assault.
Weinstein has appealed the conviction from his 2020 trial and denies all allegations of non-consensual sex.
He was extradited to the Los Angeles jail in July 2021 after beginning his sentence at the Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org