Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, was released from federal prison on Wednesday to serve the remainder of his sentence from home, according to reports.
Family members, including his wife, picked Manafort up from the prison in Pennsylvania.
Manafort’s release comes shortly after his lawyer, Kevin Downing, wrote a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) on April 13 requesting he be released over concerns he may contract the coronavirus, as IJR previously reported.
Attorney General William Barr also wrote a memo directing the BOP to transfer inmates who have high risk factors to home confinement after a quarantine.
Manafort was sentenced to 90 months for crimes related to tax and mortgage fraud. His scheduled release date is set for November 3, 2024.
In his letter, Manafort’s lawyer pointed to his age and pre-existing conditions as reasons he should be able to serve the remainder of his sentence from home.
“Mr. Manafort is 71 years old and suffers from several preexisting health conditions, including high blood pressure, liver disease, and respiratory ailments,” Downing wrote.
He added, “As the BOP is aware, in December 2019, Mr. Manafort was hospitalized for several days due to a heart condition. More recently, in February 2020, he contracted influenza and bronchitis.”
The letter listed the 11 prescription medications Manafort takes to treat his health conditions.
Downing reiterated if Manafort were to be released to home confinement his chances of contracting the coronavirus would be slim.
“Finally, if Mr. Manafort is transferred to home confinement, he will be able to be treated by his long-time physician,” Downing wrote.
He continued, “Therefore, based on the totality of the circumstances, transferring Mr. Manafort to home confinement in Virginia will not increase—and would likely decrease—his risk of contracting the potentially fatal disease.”
On April 17, it was also reported that Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen was scheduled to be released early from prison due to growing concern over the spread of the coronavirus, as IJR previously reported.