The court granted Ramon Sanchez compassionate release pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) because his preexisting medical conditions (lupus, Raynaud’s syndrome, and medication-related immunocompromise) and the resulting high chance of developing severe COVID-19 illness provided extraordinary and compelling reasons for release. As to exhaustion, the court examined the congressional intent underlying the First Step Act and concluded that it had the discretion to waive the 30-day waiting period where strict enforcement would not serve the congressional objective of allowing “meaningful and prompt judicial review.” Furthermore, the court reasoned that Sanchez was not a “danger to others or the community” (18 U.S.C. § 3142(g)) despite his criminal history because his violation was from 9 years ago when he was twenty years old, and his self-quarantine would keep him from contacting others. Lastly, the court held that the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors supported release because exposing a particularly vulnerable individual to a life-threatening illness which threatened him uniquely would not be a “just punishment.”
United States v. Sanchez, No. 18-CR-00140, 2020 WL 1933815 (D. Conn. Apr. 22, 2020)
DETAILS
Decision
Date
4/22/2020
Practice Area
Criminal (Federal Charges)
Relief Requested
Release
Type of Court
Federal District Court
Location
Connecticut
Type of Case
Individual
Case Characteristics
Post-Conviction Detention [jail or prison], Pre-Existing Health Conditions, Significant Criminal History
Release Granted
Yes
Compassionate Release Case
Yes
Compassionate Release Specific Characteristics
Has a significant criminal history
Case Tracking Number
18-cr-00140-VLB
MORE CASE INFORMATION
Court Name
D. Conn.
Decision
Motion Granted
Place of Incarceration
Federal Detention Center [typically federal pretrial detention]
Name of Facility
Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn
Legal Authority
Bail Reform Act, Bail Pending Sentence or Appeal, 18 U.S.C. § 3143, First Step Act Exhaustion, First Step Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)
Release Conditions
Period of supervised release is increased from three to four years; under home detention subject to GPS monitoring for the first thirteen months of his release; a finding of any failure, no matter how slight, to comply with any of the conditions of supervised release will likely result in a revocation of the supervised release
Convictions
Violations of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) (manufacture, distribute, or dispense, or possess with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, a controlled substance -- between 100 and 200 grams of cocaine); nine-year-old violation of a protective order; criminal possession of a weapon
Case Status
Decision Made
Compassionate Release Exhaustion Holdingsin Federal Case
Crowdsourced legal documents from around the country related to COVID-19 and incarceration, organized, collected, and summarized for public defenders, litigators, and other advocates. Created and managed by Bronx Defenders, Columbia Law School’s Center for Institutional and Social Change, UCLA Law COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project, and Zealous. Mostly federal court opinions, but now expanding to states and legal filings, declarations, and exhibits.
This resource is designed to help lawyers, advocates, researchers, journalists, and others interested in challenging, remedying, or drawing attention to the grave risk that Covid-19 poses to individuals who are detained.