"I'm currently in my grave, with my eyes open, dirt up to my neck, getting dizzy as the world turns," Taxstone writes on a note he shared with his Twitter followers today. The former podcast host of Tax Season is currently locked up in Riker's Island, stemming back to a 2016 shooting in New York that left Troy Ave's bodyguard dead. It was an unfortunate series of events that happened just as Taxstone's star was starting to take off, and the New York native was building a name for himself with his long-form conversations on Tax Season.
Taxstone is no longer someone we hear from on the daily, but every now and then he delivers fans a message by way of social media. This particular message though, is disheartening. Tax shares with his followers how conditions have been for the prisoners of Riker's Island. "For a month now, we haven't been allowed visits, legal or social. Understandable, considering what's going on. But what I don't understand is how the only people we have contact with on the outside, the correctional officers and civilians, have no protective gear and they aren't giving us anything to protect ourselves." He goes on to write how he's been aware that certain people are being released from prison because of the pandemic -- however "I see head of corrections stating not to release people charged with murder, rape or robbery...like it's ok for THEM die."
"The moral code that they have written and are now breaking, goes against all codes of humanity, in the middle of a global pandemic," Taxstone continues in his heartfelt message. "We're being raped of our rights of being innocent until proven guilty, and being left on an island to be murdered by this uncontrolled serial killer called Covid-19. They don't even care about the correctional officers. We're all just a check at the end of the day, in one of the industries that are still intact during this global pandemic. The correction officers have families too, you think they want to catch something and bring it home to their families? Of course not!"
From there, he details how an inmate in the cell beside his just found out his mother passed away due to Coronavirus. This same inmate was in for a 3 month parole violation, but was held in the jail for an extra month because of the virus.
Read his full message below. It couldn't be a more appropriate time to use Taxstone's own phrase: Be safe though.
Harvey Weinstein Tests Positive For Coronavirus: Report
Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, according to a local newspaper.
Harvey Weinstein has reportedly tested positive for the Coronavirus and is currently in isolation, according to the Niagara-Gazette, a local newspaper near Weinstein’s current location at the Wende Correctional Facility outside Buffalo, NY.
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A New York State Department of Corrections spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast that two inmates at Wende Correctional Facility have tested positive for COVID-19, but the source did not disclose their identities.
Juda Engelmayer, Weinstein’s spokesperson, told The Daily Beast on Sunday, “our team… has not heard anything like that yet,” and did not confirm whether Weinstein was in isolation.
A law enforcement official confirmed to Deadline that Weinstein is in isolation, but said they “cannot comment on an individual’s medical record.”
Apoxomently 40 inmates at Rikers Island have tested positive for the virus. The disgraced film mogul transferred from Rikers to Wende Correctional Facility on Wednesday.
New York has grown into the most dangerous state in the country regarding the spread of the Coronavirus. As of Sunday morning, New York City had 9,654 confirmed cases of the virus. Even while most businesses are closed, restaurants are take-out only, and people are encouraged to stay inside, many New Yorkers are still ignoring the city’s pleas.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison on March 11.
38 People Test Positive For Coronavirus At Rikers Island: Report
21 inmates and 17 workers have reportedly contracted covid-19.
It looks like the coronavirus has infiltrated itself into the Rikers Island prison system in New York City. According to multiple reports, 38 people have tested positive for covid-19, including 21 inmates and 17 employees.
The Board of Correction, which provides independent oversight of the city's jails, sent a letter to New York officials over the weekend with two principle recommendations: to "immediately remove from jail all people at high risk of dying" and "rapidly decrease the jail population."
According to Sherman, 12 of the employees work for the Department of Correction and the other five work under Correctional Health Services. In addition to that, at least another 58 people were being monitored in the prison’s contagious disease and quarantine units, she said.
“It is likely these people have been in hundreds of housing areas and common areas over recent weeks and have been in close contact with many other people in custody and staff,” said Sherman, warning that cases could skyrocket. “The best path forward to protecting the community of people housed and working in the jails is to rapidly decrease the number of people housed and working in them.”
This report comes just only a few days after Mayor de Blasio confirmed the first person who tested positive at Rikers on Wednesday, and now there’s 37 more.
Rikers Island Confirms First Inmate To Test Positive For COVID-19
The first case of Coronavirus has been announced on Rikers Island.
Rikers Island is expecting a Coronavirus outbreak inside the prison after an inmate became the first test positive for the novel virus, the NY Post reports. This arrives hours after a correction officer inside of Rikers tested positive for COVID-19. At this point, it appears likely that we’ll see more cases inside of Rikers coming in the near future.
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The president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, Elias Husamudeen, is asking the board to begin using “their contingency plans” in wake of the inmate’s positive test results. “This crisis will grow worse with each passing day. Give us the help we need now!” He said in a statement. He’s asking that the city give them new face masks that will protect the C.O’s from contracting the disease. Currently, they’re using N95 masks.
As the risks of contracting COVID-19 increase in New York City, the Union is currently requesting that no further inmates be brought into the prison facility because they might have been exposed to the disease.
Business Insider reports that inmates are actually at higher risks of contracting COVID-19 than most people. City officials, including Mayor De Blasio, are advocating for the release of a portion of the inmate population, especially those who have pre-existing conditions. Add to the fact that there’ve been numerous complaints surrounding sanitation at the prison and an outbreak appears to be on its way if officials don’t work quickly.
Harvey Weinstein Going Back To Prison After Health Crisis
Harvey Weinstein is headed back to the clink, once again.
Harvey Weinstein is officially back in custody at New York City’s main jail complex, Riker’s Island after suffering from chest pains following his infamous conviction. Back in Feb., the former movie mogul was found guilty of third-degree rape for attacking former actress Jessica Mann and a felony sex crime for forcing his former-production assistant, Mimi Haley to perform oral sex on Weinstein. Since then, Weinstein has been hospitalized on numerous occasions, underwent heart surgery, took a nasty fall at Riker’s, and even sent a death threat Jennifer Aniston’s way since his conviction. Rachel Murray/Getty Images
On March 11, Weinstein was sentenced to a total of 23 years in prison after being convicted guilty for rape and sex crime acts. Which eventually led to his blood pressure rising dangerously high causing him to be hospitalized. Now, according to Page Six, Weinstein was discharged from Bellevue Hospital on Monday afternoon (March 16) and is back at his new home for the next two-plus decades.
During his initial trial, Weinstein allegedly sent chocolate-covered penises to one of his accusers, had his genitals detailed as prepubescent-like, had a “golden shower” incident vividly described in the courtroom, and had his nudes exposed to the juror panel.
Despite his outlandish behavior and health complications, he will never be able to escape the fact that he is a convicted rapist and has to serve the time for his actions. Hopefully, nothing leads to his early demise while in prison at the moment, not because a portion of the population believes he’s a slimeball, but because he also has pending sexual assault charges in Los Angeles that have a trial begin. Stick with us as the Harvey Weinstein judicial saga continues to surge forward.
Harvey Weinstein Is "Miserable" After Falling On Rikers Island
Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is having a hard time adjusting to life on Rikers Island, especially after taking a fall while trying to navigate without his walker this past Saturday night.
Harvey Weinstein has been going through it after being convicted of rape and felony sex crime last month, including a heart surgery that he recently returned from last week. Now it’s being reported that his situation isn’t getting better in the least bit right about now after taking a fall while trying to navigate on Rikers Island without his walker.
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Looking all types of decrepit in the photo above while heading into court for deliberations on February 24, Weinstein is apparently feeling even worse now than he looked back then according to a recent report from Page Six. “He’s miserable but trying to be optimistic as best he can,” said his spokesman Juda Engelmayer, further adding “He has had a lot of time to think about his life and be humbled, but he thinks it’s going to be a long, uphill battle from here.” What made things particularly worse was the incident that happened this past Saturday, which according to Engelmayer involved Harvey falling on his head so hard that he thinks he might even have a concussion. “His head has been pounding since yesterday,” Engelmayer confirmed. For some reason, we’re finding it a bit hard to feel bad for ol’ Humpty Dumpty over there.
Harvey Weinstein is set to officially be sentenced this Wednesday (March 11), and he faces up to 29 years in prison.
Harvey Weinstein Returns To Rikers After Heart Surgery
Weinstein pleaded to stay at Bellevue Hospital where he underwent surgery before returning to Riker’s Island’s infirmary unit.
Harvey Weinstein has been taken out of Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan to be transferred back to Riker’s Island after he underwent surgery. According to USA Today, the disgraced movie producer and sex crime convict had surgeons place a stent during the heart procedure. This all stems from what the paramedics identified as a heart issue after Harvey Weinstein was convicted. Surgeons removed the blockage from his heart before he was sent back to Riker’s.
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Weinstein has been at Bellevue since Feb 24th when he was convicted of two counts of sex crimes. The judge ordered that he stay in custody until his sentence on March 11th when he suffered high blood pressure and chest pains. His mogul confirmed he was well enough to be transferred to Riker’s Island where he’ll stay in the North Infirmary Command which is meant for people like Weinstein. It’s specifically tailed medical facility with specialized units made for high-profile inmates.
As Weinstein awaits his sentencing date, he’ll likely be staying inside of prison for a while. The two counts that he was found guilty of range in sentencing from five years to 25 years behind bars. We’ll keep you updated on any new developments surrounding his sentencing.
Harvey Weinstein Prison Officials Don’t Want "Epstein Incident": Report
Harvey Weinstein was recently convicted of sex crimes, and now officials are reportedly planning to avoid a potential suicide attempt.
The long arm of the law caught up with Harvey Weinstein after the disgraced Hollywood producer was found guilty of rape and felony sex crimes. The verdict was bittersweet for his dozens of accusers as some were happy that he’s off to prison while others can’t believe was found not guilty on other charges. As his trial moved forward, the 67-year-old defendant has complained of health issues. He was getting around with a walker and following the reading of the verdict, Weinstein was rushed to the hospital after allegedly suffering from chest pains.
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TMZ reports that a few chest pains and trouble walking is the least of concerns for New York officials. The outlet states that the City is being careful about how they handle Weinstein behind bars because they are afraid of things ending up like the case of Jeffrey Epstein. Back in August 2019, convicted sex offender and friend to the rich and powerful Epstein was found dead in his jail cell. A month prior, Epstein was arrested on charges of the sex trafficking of minors. It was believed that in Epstein’s trial, the world would learn what celebrities and political leaders were involved in what was rumored to be one of the most covert elite sex trafficking rings. However, after Epstein died, charges against him were dismissed and any potential secrets were buried with him.
There has been some information shared about Weinstein’s upcoming time behind bars. TMZ states that he’ll be lodged in Riker’s Island in a private area. The North Infirmary Command has reportedly been segregated for “high-profile inmates” or those who have health problems. The publication says that officials will be monitoring Weinstein closely twenty-four hours a day. However, they didn’t formally call it a suicide watch.
As the former executive-turned-convicted sex offender continues to heal at the Bellevue Hospital, there are reportedly a select few Department of Corrections officials who are hoping they can transfer Weinstein somewhere else to avoid the hassle of housing him. It’s reported that Weinstein is looking at a minimum of five years behind bars.