What will life in federal prison be like for Michael Cohen?
Former federal inmate turned life coach Enrique Fiallo weighs in on what awaits former Trump attorney Michael Cohen in the big house.
Michael Cohen, the former attorney for President Trump who was imprisoned last year after pleading guilty to several charges, was released to home confinement Thursday amid concerns over the coronavirus.
Cohen was released on furlough from Federal Correctional Institute Otisville Thursday morning to stay at home with his wife, Laura Shusterman, and their children. Fox News has learned that Cohen will have a monitoring device and will not be allowed to leave his New York City apartment.
Michael Cohen arrives at his Manhattan apartment, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in New York. President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer was released federal prison Thursday and is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence at home. Cohen has been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Cohen, 53, has been serving his three-year sentence at the FCI Otisville in Otisville, N.Y., a federal prison in the countryside 70 miles northwest of New York City, after he pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress about Trump's past dealings in Russia, among other charges. He started serving his sentence in May 2019 and was scheduled to be released in November 2021.
Michael Cohen arrives at his Manhattan apartment, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in New York. President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer was released federal prison Thursday and is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence at home. Cohen has been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
FCI Otisville has had several inmates and staff members testing positive for COVID-19. Bureau of Prisons officials said last week that more than 2,400 inmates nationally had been moved into home confinement since Attorney General Bill Barr ordered the agency to increase the practice.
MANAFORT RELEASED TO HOME CONFINEMENT AMID CORONAVIRUS
BOP has the authority to release federal inmates on furlough for up to 30 days. But a source told Fox News that Cohen is likely to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement.
Michael Cohen arrives at his Manhattan apartment, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in New York. President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer was released federal prison Thursday and is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence at home. Cohen has been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
His release came as advocates have been pressing the federal government and state governments to release at-risk inmates over fears of a COVID-19 outbreak in correctional facilities, where social distancing is nearly impossible to maintain in such close quarters.
Cohen, after arriving to his New York City home, tweeted: "I am so glad to be home and back with my family. There is so much I want to say and intend to say. But now is not the right time. Soon. Thank you to all my friends and supporters."
This past April, Cohen was placed in solitary confinement following a verbal altercation with another inmate after the inmate complained about his Internet use.
SEN. KENNEDY URGES BARR TO DENY EARLY PRISON RELEASE FOR BERNIE MADOFF
A federal judge in March denied his request for early release in lieu of home confinement. In his ruling, Judge William H. Pauley III wrote the attempt was another “effort to inject himself into the news cycle.”
The judge added, “Cohen has not even attempted to argue that he is uniquely at risk as compared to other inmates. Nor could he: He is 53 years old and in good health.”
Other high-profile inmates have also been released as the number of coronavirus cases soars in the federal prison system. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released to home confinement last week. Michael Avenatti, the attorney who rose to fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against Trump, was freed temporarily from a federal jail in New York and is said to have been staying at a friend’s house in Los Angeles.
Fox News' Marta Dhanis and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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