- Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, will reportedly be released early from prison as the new coronavirus continues to spread.
- People familiar with the matter told CNN that the federal Bureau of Prisons notified Cohen on Thursday of his pending release. Cohen’s lawyer, Roger Adler, also confirmed it to CNN.
- Cohen on Twitter said last month that an inmate at the prison tested positive for coronavirus, and according to CNN, 14 inmates and seven staff members have since tested positive.
- It is unclear from the CNN report when Cohen may be released. He is currently serving a three-year sentence at a federal prison in Otisville, New York, and is scheduled for release in November 2021.
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Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney who pleaded guilty in 2018 to tax evasion, bank fraud, and campaign-finance violations as well as making false statements to Congress, will reportedly be released from prison early as the new coronavirus continues to spread.
People familiar with the matter told CNN that the federal Bureau of Prisons notified Cohen on Thursday of his pending release. Cohen’s lawyer, Roger Adler, also confirmed it to CNN.
Representatives for Adler did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
It is unclear from the CNN report when Cohen may be released. He is currently serving a three-year sentence at a federal prison in Otisville, New York, located about 75 miles northwest of New York City, and is scheduled for release in November 2021.
Cohen said on Twitter that an inmate at the prison tested positive for coronavirus last month, and according to CNN, 14 inmates and seven staff members have since tested positive.
Cohen asked for “compassionate release” last month as the virus began to take hold of New York, but his plea was rejected by US District Court Judge William Pauley.
“Ten months into his prison term, it’s time that Cohen accepts the consequences of his criminal convictions for serious crimes that had far reaching institutional harms,” Pauley wrote in his order.
According to CNN, Cohen will be able to serve the remainder of his sentence from home but will first have to serve a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the prison.
According to the federal Bureau of Prisons online tracking system, 473 inmates and 279 staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
