Harvey Weinstein has apologised for being caught with Milk Duds in prison.
According to multiple reports, the disgraced film producer was caught with Milk Duds during a November search at the Correctional Treatment Centre within the Twin Towers prison in downtown Los Angeles.
After being caught, Weinstein told the officers that he brought the caramel balls with him when he was extradited from New York in July 2021, according to Variety. However, authorities dismissed those claims stating that they had searched him upon his arrival at the LA facility.
The prison authorities then came to the conclusion that the only way Weinstein could’ve obtained the chocolate was during an attorney visit.
On Thursday (3 March), Weinstein issued an apology for his actions.
“This was an innocent misunderstanding,” he told E! News. “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.”
Last year, Weinstein pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts. The charges involve alleged attacks on five women between 2004 and 2013.
The seven sexual assault charges Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to include four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint, and one count of sexual penetration by use of force.
All 11 charges together could amount to a sentence of 140 years.
Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of third-degree rape and of a criminal sexual act in New York. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison, which he was serving at the Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo before his extradition.
Weinstein has appealed the conviction. He has maintained his innocence and denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
The former film producer now awaits a second trial on a second coast.
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.
