Former Rep. Corinne Brown (D-FL), the ex-lawmaker serving a five-year prison sentence for crimes involving fraud and corruption, was released from federal prison on Wednesday over coronavirus-related concerns.
An official at Federal Correctional Institute Coleman confirmed to local news station News4Jax that the prison released Brown on Wednesday. She purportedly “put a lot of political pressure on” to make it happen, the official said.
Brown’s attorney began fighting for her release in February, contending that her underlying health conditions put her at a greater risk of facing serious issues if she contracted the Chinese coronavirus.
She and her attorneys filed an “Emergency Motion for Compassionate Release,” citing her struggle with hypertension, diabetes, a heart murmur, acid reflux, sleep apnea, and cataracts:
Brown filed a request for compassionate release with the warden at FCI Coleman on Feb. 26. She got a form letter denial on Monday. Kent filed an initial motion with the court two days later.
According to court filings, the prosecutor from the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tysen Duva, opposes the motion, which argues that Brown will not pose a danger to the community if released but that her own health is at risk if she remains in prison.
According to the motion, Brown’s health has “declined considerably,” citing a diaphragmatic/hiatal hernia, enlarged heart, and asthma.
Her attorney, William Kent, said:
These conditions would prove fatal were she to become infected with COVID-19. All of these conditions are now experienced under the constant threat of COVID-19 infection, which given Brown’s age and medical conditions put her at great risk of death.
Pastor Kelvin Cobaris has since confirmed that the ex-lawmaker is “safe at home”:
A judge sentenced Brown to five years in federal prison in December 2017 after she was found guilty of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from a fake charity, One Door for Education, which was supposed to provide scholarships to underprivileged students. She used the funds to pay for “lavish parties, luxury vacations, and shopping sprees,” as Breitbart News detailed.