Harvey Weinstein Allegedly Smuggled This Classic Movie Theater Snack Into Jail
Everyone knows how hard it is to shake a craving for a snack. We imagine that two decades must seem like a very long time. Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film and television producer who is serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexual assault and rape by a court in New York last year (per NBC News), might be having a hard time enduring prison life without candy.
Weinstein is currently in Los Angeles, where he was extradited from his prison in New York last July to await trial for another list of sex crime charges. While one would think he can't get into too much trouble in jail, Weinstein's sweet tooth has landed him in some hot water. TMZ reports that he was caught with contraband of the chocolatey and chewy variety last November. We wonder if it's merely a coincidence that Weinstein's candy of choice is a movie theater classic or if the sweetness of this tasty treat reminds him of the days when he produced movies of his own, including the "Lord of the Rings" series.
A source in law enforcement told TMZ guards at the Twin Towers correctional facility caught Weinstein with the tasty contraband after the 69-year-old, who once preferred caviar at the Tribeca Grill (via CNN), had a jailhouse meeting with one of his attorneys. A representative for the producer chalked it up to a simple mistake. (Visitors are barred from bringing items to inmates, according to Shouse Law Group.)
Weinstein wanted his Duds
Harvey Weinstein is currently housed in the Correctional Treatment Center, a mental health facility within the Twin Towers jail in L.A., where candy is contraband. So what was so irresistible that Weinstein allegedly smuggled them in? Milk Duds. We don't know if Weinstein loves them, but he apparently liked the chocolatey treat enough to have it on him.
But, if candy is banned in the correctional facility, how did Weinstein get ahold of them? An attorney for the "Project Runway" producer said Weinstein had the candy with him when he was transferred from his New York correctional institution to the L.A. jail. Authorities, however, told TMZ they're pretty sure his attorney slipped him the sweets. In a statement issued through his lawyers, Weinstein defended himself, saying, "This was an innocent misunderstanding. It will not happen again. I have been a model inmate, following the rules and regulations and I am sincerely sorry."
If Weinstein did try to turn an attorney into a candy mule, then much like the contraband, his plan was a dud. But that's not how Milk Duds got their unenthusiastic name, of course. According to Hersheyland, the original manufacturer couldn't get the caramel to keep a perfectly round shape, so he called them "duds." During the Great Depression, they were a favorite movie snack because a box of the hard, chewy chocolates could last a couple of hours (via Chicago Tribune). Perhaps they will help Weinstein pass his time in jail as well.