Michael Cohen to be moved to home confinement due to coronavirus concerns: report

President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is set to be released early from prison and moved to home confinement later this week amid fears over the spread of the coronavirus behind bars, CNN reports.

A source familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday that Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison after he was convicted of lying to Congress, financial crimes and campaign finance violations last year, will be released on Thursday.

He will reportedly serve the rest of his sentence from home. 

Cohen will be released on furlough while he completes the process of moving to home confinement, the source told CNN.

Prisons and jails across the country have become COVID-19 hot spots, and a number of jurisdictions have worked to reduce the incarcerated population.

Cohen is one of several high-profile inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes who have been released due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Others moved to home confinement include Michael Avenatti, the former attorney to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Cohen was reported to be on track for release as early as April, but his lawyer Roger Adler said the Bureau of Prisons was still finalizing the terms. U.S. District Judge William Pauley rejected a request for early release in March, but over the next month, 14 inmates and seven workers at the prison complex where Cohen was incarcerated tested positive for the virus.

The Hill has reached out to the Bureau of Prisons and the Otisville Federal Correctional Institute, where Cohen is being housed, for comment.