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Weinstein Calls Rikers 'Hell,' Says Inmate Punched Him as He Awaits Third New York Retrial

The 73-year-old cites safety risks for near-total isolation at the jail ahead of a new Manhattan trial.

Overview

  • He described being confined to his cell about 23 hours a day and said his only regular interactions are with guards and medical staff, according to a new interview published March 10.
  • He alleges a fellow inmate struck him in the face while he waited to use a phone, saying he fell and bled but refused to identify the assailant.
  • He says other prisoners demand money and legal help from him and that he fears he would not survive in the general population.
  • He remains at Rikers awaiting a third retrial in Manhattan tied to an alleged 2013 rape; he says prosecutors are keeping him there because of the upcoming proceedings.
  • His record includes a 2022 California rape conviction and a June 2025 New York criminal-sex-act conviction, and a judge in January rejected his juror-misconduct challenge; he maintains he never sexually assaulted anyone and says he uses a wheelchair due to chronic myeloid leukemia and spinal stenosis.