“I respectfully urge you to deny any request for early release made by Robert Allen Stanford, Bernie Madoff, and others who chose to devastate innocent Americans with their fraudulent schemes.”

 MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr to request that he deny early prison releases for Allen Stanford, Bernie Madoff and others convicted of serious fraudulent crimes.

“Our efforts should be focused on protecting those who protected us[:] our parents, grandparents, and military veterans who led crime-free lives. Criminals such as Stanford and Madoff who preyed on the elderly should be the last ones to benefit from the change in circumstances COVID-19 has caused. . . . I respectfully urge you to deny any request for early release made by Robert Allen Stanford, Bernie Madoff, and others who chose to devastate innocent Americans with their fraudulent schemes,” wrote Kennedy.

On March 26, 2020, Attorney General Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to grant early release to certain non-violent criminals who are at high risk of falling victim to the coronavirus. Congress originally authorized this power through emergency legislation to protect elderly or chronically ill inmates from infection.

Kennedy also requested that the Justice Department publish on its website key information regarding every inmate who is released under the orders developed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter is available here.