Coronavirus: Senator asks Attorney General William Barr to deny early prison release for Bernie Madoff, Allen Stanford

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Monday asked Attorney General William Barr to deny requests from infamous Ponzi schemers Bernie Madoff and R. Allen Stanford for early prison release due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Releasing either of these individuals, or anyone similarly situated, would be an affront to those affected by their evil schemes, and a complete failure in the administration of justice,” Kennedy wrote in a letter to Barr.

The coronavirus has swept through the U.S. prison system, infecting thousands of inmates and guards. In federal facilities, 495 inmates and 309 staff have tested positive for Covid-19, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Twenty-two federal inmates have died from the virus, the BOP says.

Barr in late March directed the BOP to release eligible nonviolent inmates to home confinement because of the threat the disease posed to vulnerable prisoners. He expanded that order on April 3 to include more federal inmates.

Madoff, who turns 82 on April 29, had already asked to be freed from his 150-year prison sentence to live out his final days with a friend before succumbing to a terminal kidney disease. His lawyer last month called for all inmates threatened by the coronavirus to be released. 

Kennedy told Barr that he is “concerned that it is only a matter of time” before Stanford, 70, asks for early release from his 110-year sentence.

“Our efforts should be focused on protecting those who protected us; our parents, grandparents, and military veterans who led crime-free lives,” Kennedy said in the letter.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/20/coronavirus-senator-asks-ag-barr-to-deny-early-prison-release-for-bernie-madoff.html