President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen did not leave prison as anticipated Friday after recently being cleared to complete his sentence at home because of the coronavirus.
Cohen’s lawyer, Roger Adler, said last month that his client was told he could serve the remainder of his sentence under home confinement because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, multiple news outlets citing unnamed sources reported that Cohen was not released as expected despite being quarantined for the preceding 14 days in preparation.
As of Saturday morning, the Bureau of Prison website listed Cohen as continuing to be held at a minimum-security facility in Otisville, New York, where he has been serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to violations of campaign finance law and other charges.
Reached for comment, Mr. Adler told The Washington Times he is “cautiously hopeful” Cohen will be transferred to home confinement later this month.
The BOP did not immediately return a message inquiring about whether Cohen will be released early after all.
Cohen, 53, asked in March that he be released early from prison, citing fears about potentially contracting the coronavirus while in custody.
But while Cohen’s plea for “compassionate release” was initially denied by a federal court judge, his lawyer later told news outlets last month that the BOP ultimately agreed to let him finish his sentence under home confinement.
Cohen is currently scheduled to complete his sentence in November 2021, according to the BOP website.
ABC News first reported Friday that Cohen would not be released early as he expected, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. Other outlets including The Wall Street Journal and Reuters subsequently corroborated those reports.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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