Former State Sen. Dean Skelos released from prison after testing positive for Covid-19

Updated April 30 at 10:00 a.m.

Former State Sen. Dean Skelos has been released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement, according to officials, and has likely returned to his Rockville Centre home.

After testing positive for Covid-19, Skelos filed a petition to be released to home confinement from federal prison in Otisville and was approved for medical release, according to officials from the Bureau of Prisons.

The location and terms of his new confinement were not stated, but traditionally, prisoners are sent to their home residences and are electronically monitored, with restrictions on leaving the premises. Skelos had requested to return to Rockville Centre.

Skelos' request for release had been in question last week due to a change in government policy.

Earlier this month, officials said that Skelos, 72, had been cleared for medical release and would likely return to his Rockville Centre home. On April 21, however, prosecutors said that a recent shift in the Bureau of Prisons policy meant he was no longer eligible for "compassionate release,"which can be ordered by a judge for inmates facing extraordinary circumstances, including illness. According to prosecutors, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons advised prison officials to revert to its pre-coronavirus policy that inmates are not eligible for home release unless they had served 50 percent of their sentence. Skelos has more than two years, or around 30 percent, left on his 51-month sentence for extortion, wire fraud and bribery.

The federal prosecutors sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood, who is overseeing the case, saying that the Bureau of Prisons had not yet made a decision on whether to approve Skelos for furlough and home confinement. Skelos had reportedly been in quarantine for 10 days at the federal prison in Otisville, according to documents filed in federal court in Manhattan by Southern District prosecutors, and has been symptom-free since April 8.

Late last month, Skelos requested early release citing fear of contracting the virus after another inmate tested positive. The motion, filed under seal, was opposed by federal prosecutors in papers filed publicly, citing that an application for release must first be filed with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which can better assess his health situation. His medical condition was not made public at that point.

Skelos was convicted in July 2018 of using his political power to secure approximately $300,000 in jobs and fees for his son Adam, also of Rockville Centre. They were each convicted on eight counts of conspiracy, extortion, and bribery. Adam Skelos was sentenced to four years in prison.