Harvey Weinstein was caught with contraband Milk Duds in November, prompting a reprimand from L.A. County jail guards, according to records viewed by Variety.
The Milk Duds were found during a search on Nov. 10, after Weinstein had a face-to-face meeting with Shawn Burkley, one of his attorneys. The Milk Duds were confiscated, and the guards warned that they would have to search his attorneys’ legal binders and laptop bags on future visits.
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Weinstein claimed to the guards that he had brought the Milk Duds with him when he was extradited from New York in July. But the jail officials said he had been searched upon his arrival at the L.A. County jail’s medical facility, and nothing was found, leading them to conclude that the Milk Duds were passed to him during the attorney’s visit.
Weinstein apologized for the incident in a statement to Variety.
“This was an innocent misunderstanding,” Weinstein said. “It will not happen again. I have been a model inmate, following the rules and regulations and I am sincerely sorry.”
Weinstein’s lead attorneys, Mark Werksman and Alan Jackson, also issued an apology.
“We have been informed about this and are very sorry it happened,” they said. “It had not happened before, and never happened since. Harvey has been a model inmate and intends to continue as such.”
The disgraced producer is being held at the Correctional Treatment Center, the medical unit within the Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles, while he awaits trial on 11 charges of rape and sexual assault. In 2020, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York. That conviction is being appealed, and a ruling on the appeal is expected within the next couple of months.
Weinstein is entitled to face-to-face visits with his attorneys as he prepares for trial. But jail officials warned that if further contraband is found, the attorneys could be forced to use a special booth.
Weinstein faces numerous health issues, including diabetes, as well as cardiac issues, sleep apnea and eye problems.
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