The mastermind behind the failed Fyre Festival, which spawned a Netflix and Hulu documentary, is looking to be released from prison early amid coronavirus scares. Billy McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in March 2018 and was sentenced to six years.
On Tuesday, McFarland, via his lawyers, asked U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Buchwald to be granted early release due to his pre-existing conditions. According to his lawyers, his ailments “make him particularly vulnerable to catching and suffering from severe or fatal consequences of the virus.” McFarland is currently incarcerated at the Elkton federal prison in Ohio, where four prisoners have died to date due to coronavirus complications.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
His lawyers only highlighted his higher risk as grounds for the release, explaining in part that “he has pre-existing conditions that make contracting COVID-19 easier, and which increase his potential to suffer severe health issues and death if he does so, including being diagnosed with asthma as a teenager,” read the letter. In addition to asthma, his lawyers noted that McFarland has experienced heart issues while behind bars and is on the “‘extreme’ scale of the allergy spectrum.”
McFarland’s request comes amid a growing number of non-violent prisoners being released early or temporarily released in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus within correctional facilities.
“Mr. McFarland is not a risk to the community nor a threat to public safety. The crime to which he pled guilty for was the non-violent financial crime of wire fraud. However, he is a low risk of recidivism for such financial crimes as he has explained that he has a supportive family that has attested to providing for his basic needs.” the letter to the judge read.
A decision has not yet been made.
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