The prison where President Trump’s former campaign chief Paul Manafort was incarcerated had no reported cases of the coronavirus, but he was released regardless.
Manafort was released Wednesday over fears that he could contract the virus. He was expected to be released from prison in November 2024 but will now serve out the rest of his seven-year sentence in home confinement.
His lawyer, Kevin Downing, requested the early release last month, saying Manafort had health problems, including high blood pressure, liver disease, and respiratory issues. He was hospitalized in December for heart problems. At age 71, Manafort is also in an age group considered to be more susceptible to the virus.
“Mr. Manafort is at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 at FCI Loretto due to his age and pre-existing health conditions, and it is imperative that Mr. Manafort be transferred to home confinement immediately in order to minimize the likelihood of Mr. Manafort contracting or spreading the potentially fatal disease,” Downing wrote.
There have been no reported cases of the coronavirus at FCI Loretto, a low-security federal correctional facility in Pennsylvania, where Manafort was imprisoned. But his legal team argued the “growing number of cases in Pennsylvania” meant it was “only a matter of time before the infection spreads to staff and inmates.”
The Bureau of Prisons said it has 2,818 federal inmates and 262 staff who have tested positive for the coronavirus nationwide. At least 50 of those inmates have died from the virus. In response to the pandemic, the Bureau of Prisons has increased the number of inmates in home confinement by 87.5%.
