Bill Cosby’s lawyers are attempting to get him released from prison and placed on house arrest over fears that he could contract the coronavirus.
His lawyers have filed a motion for his release on Wednesday. Cosby is currently serving time in Pennsylvania for three counts of aggravated indecent assault without consent.
“We believe it is only a matter of time before Mr. Cosby’s prison likely falls victim to the virus,” Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt told the New York Post. “Such a confined space is the perfect place for a virus to spread rapidly; it is hazardous to the prison staff and vulnerable inmates.”
The 80-year-old comedian would be able to hole up in his 9,000-square-foot mansion if his motion for house arrest is successful. He was previously under house arrest there for a period of time in 2018.
“Bill Cosby is no detriment or danger to the community. He can’t go anywhere, he is elderly, he is blind. He can stay under house arrest with an ankle bracelet, as he did before, with his wife taking care of him. Let him do his time at home,” his spokesman said.
The motion comes as officials across the country have considered the release of some prisoners over the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump said at a Sunday press conference that he would potentially issue an executive order to release elderly, nonviolent offenders from federal prison.
Disgraced media mogul and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus in a New York prison this week and is being held in isolation.
