Harvey Weinstein reportedly diagnosed with bone marrow cancer while in prison for sex crimes

Former film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer while in jail, according to reports.

Amid the 72-year-old's 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault, for which he's serving time at New York City's Rikers Island prison, Weinstein was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, per ABC News and NBC News.

When reached for comment, Craig Rothfeld, Weinstein’s legal healthcare representative in the state of New York, refused to confirm reports of Weinstein's condition to Entertainment Weekly, and instead expressed "profound dismay at the speculation surrounding Mr. Weinstein’s medical condition."

Rothfeld continued: "It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse. Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein's privacy, we will offer no further comment."

Bone marrow cancer occurs in the spongy tissue inside human bones, where the body produces blood cells, and often doesn't yield immediately recognizable symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Weinstein's reported cancer diagnosis comes amid other health concerns the ex-Hollywood mogul has endured in prison, including a September incident in which he was rushed from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital for emergency heart surgery.

“As we have extensively stated before, Mr. Weinstein suffers a plethora of significant health issues that need ongoing treatment,” Rothfeld said in a statement at the time. "We are grateful to the executive team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for acting swiftly in taking him to Bellevue Hospital."

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September's health scare came two months after Weinstein was treated for COVID-19 and pneumonia. It also fell shortly before he was due in court to face prosecutors' evidence presented to a grand jury over alleged sexual assault that reportedly occurred sometime in the span of a four-month period between late 2005 and mid-2006 in Manhattan.

Weinstein — who was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women over the years — was previously convicted in court of a criminal sex act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. In April of this year, a New York court of appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction and ordered a retrial.