The other day, we reported on how, like many people locked up right now, Kooda B was asking the judge to grant his release from prison. Kooda B is a co-defendant in Tekashi 6ix9ine‘s trial, he plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering when the charges first started to rain down on 6ix9ine in summer of 2019.
In a letter to Judge Engelmayer, Kooda B’s lawyer, Lisa Scolari, asked that her client be released on the same $300,000 bond that he posted last year, because he suffers from asthma which puts him in a precarious position with COVID-19. Scolari explained to the judge that Kooda B requires an inhaler for his shortness of breath, and is considered “high risk” for the Coronavirus. “He has needed to use the inhaler at least once in the last month,” she wrote, going on to explain: “They are overcrowded, making it impossible to enforce the social distancing necessary to prevent spread of the virus. Inmates live in close quarters, share facilities such as sinks and showers. The MCC also has shortages of soap and disinfectants.”
Initially, we reported on how this request was opposed– but it looks like the judge actually proved amenable to the request in the end, and Kooda B has been granted a temporary release.
As confirmed yesterday afternoon, the Judge reportedly said that there are at least four other inmates in the same facility as Kooda who have contracted the disease, and because of Kooda’s asthma, the MCC has agreed with the “high risk” label.
