Ex-Trump campaign boss Paul Manafort is latest high-profile prisoner to be released over coronavirus fears
EX-Trump campaign boss Paul Manafort is the latest high-profile prisoner who will serve out his sentence at home amid coronavirus fears, reports say.
The will reportedly carry out the rest of his sentence from the comfort of his home due to the spread behind bars.
The news comes as well-known convicts like , Tekashi69 and Michael Cohen are also dealing with .
Two sources familiar with the situation told 71-year-old Manafort left FCI Loretto in central Pennsylvania early this morning after serving around 30 percent of his seven-year sentence.
The news comes after:
- Mueller in the 2016 presidential election
- Manafort faces charges including
- 's former campaign aide is imprisoned for seven years
- He is hospitalized after a
- Manafort appeals for home confinement due to
His lawyer and The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) have yet to comment on the matter.
Manafort, 71, was imprisoned on charges related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation stemming from from his Ukraine-related work from 2006 and 2015.
The decision to let him carry out the rest of his sentence from home came about after his attorneys wrote a letter to the BOP on April 13 requesting home confinement because he's at a high risk of contracting coronavirus.
This is due to his age and pre-existing conditions, Kevin Downing and Todd Blanche said.
“We write on behalf of our client to request that the Bureau of Prisons ('BOP') immediately transfer Mr. Manafort to home confinement to serve the remainder of his sentence," it read.
"[Or] alternatively, for the duration of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with Attorney General William Barr’s directives to the BOP on March 26 and April 3, 2020, and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (''), enacted on March 27, 2020."
The infection has yet to break out at FCI Loretto but sources told ABC News the facility was actually an old monastery which could potentially be pummeled by the virus given its open configuration.
Attorney General Bill Barr’s directive allowed the federal prison system to increase home confinement for inmates “at risk” of catching the deadly bug.
Back in December, Manafort was rushed to hospital due to a suspected heart attack.
Armed guards took him to a cardiac after he claimed of chest pains in his prison cell.
The veteran Republican political consultant was found guilty last August of five counts of tax fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and also convicted of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.
His crimes were uncovered during Special Counsel Robert Mueller's wide-ranging investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 US presidential election.
Manafort, then 70, was wheelchair-bound as the sentence was delivered in Alexandria, , and he was set to be released on November 4, 2024.
After he recovered at a local Pennsylvania hospital, his lawyers said his pre-existing conditions include high blood pressure, liver disease, and respiratory ailments.
Manafort also battled influenza and bronchitis in February 2020 and reportedly takes 11 medications daily.
HIGH PROFILE PRISONERS
Speaking about the home confinement measures, Barr told the station "my main interest is making sure that they're safe to the community."
"And that the situation they're going into is likely to be safer than staying where they are where they have ready access to doctors and we can keep them in isolation," he added.
, , Weinstein, Cohen, and Tekashi are all in the high-risk category for various reasons.
These well-known inmates have either battled the vicious virus or are saying they should be released due to the pandemic.
HARVEY WEINSTEIN
Sex pest Weinstein and was placed in isolation at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison east of Buffalo, .
Although the 68-year-old convicted rapist reportedly suffers from high blood pressure, heart problems, severe diabetes and a spine condition.
Weinstein overcame a fever and persistent cough back in April after a month-long battle with the disease after a brief stint at .
He is serving a 23-year sentence .
TEKASHI 6IX9INE
Tekashi 6ix9ine, 23, who has asthma and bronchitis, was after getting two years in prison on federal weapons, racketeering and drug trafficking charges.
The rapper's health conditions make him particularly at risk of contracting coronavirus, his team argued, which led to the judge granting him compassionate release.
Tekashi - whose real name is Lance Lazzaro - will now serve the remaining four months of his prison sentence at home in incarceration.
His lawyer had "begged" a judge for home-release, citing the star's health issues.
MICHAEL COHEN
Cohen, who was imprisoned for less than a year, was on Friday was delayed without an explanation, reported
“Cohen’s early release has not been rescinded," an anonymous source told the publication. "He will be eligible when he meets the 18-month threshold later in May."
The stipulation that prisoners had to serve 50 percent of their sentence was being reduced to 25 percent, which was clarified by Barr when some prisoners were told they weren't eligible.
The was reportedly "agitated" by the prospect of his release from federal prison after he pleaded guilty to tax fraud, bank fraud, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress.
In a letter to prison officials, Cohen said he suffered from "pulmonary embolisms, respiratory deficiencies, cardiac concerns, and high blood pressure.”
R. KELLY
R. Kelly's was rejected last month.
The suspected sex predator must stay behind bars despite the significant coronavirus outbreak at a jail because he was deemed to be a flight risk.
According to , US District Judge Ann Donnelly was also concerned that Kelly would "try to obstruct justice or intimidate prospective witnesses has not dissipated, and poses a danger to the community."
Kelly is facing multiple charges in three states, including for sexual misconduct.
BILL COSBY
Bill Cosby's lawyers have repeatedly said is at risk of contracting the virus.
Back in April, his spokesperson told the 82-year-old had partially blocked arteries, is blind from glaucoma and has high blood pressure after two major surgeries to prevent cardiovascular failure.
In 2018, the disgraced TV star was convicted of aggravated indecent assault in 2004 and is serving three-to 10-years.
The State Correctional Institution Phoenix in Collegeville in Pennsylvania where Cosby is being held has been pummeled by the virus, with staff and inmates alike falling ill.
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Arguing for his release, spokesperson Andrew V. Wyatt said he was sure Cosby would be let out due to his health issues.
"We are asking Governor Wolf to amend his executive order and grant Mr. Cosby Compassionate Relief based on his current medical status," Wyatt said in April.
"Mr. Cosby was not given a life sentence nor a death sentence."