PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Rhode Island man serving a 660-year prison sentence for laundering millions of dollars for a Colombian drug cartel was denied compassionate release on Monday by a federal judge who said he had failed to show he was at an increased risk of severe complications from the coronavirus.U.S.
District Court Judge Mary Lisi found that Stephen Saccoccia had not demonstrated “extraordinary and compelling” circumstances that required he be freed, The Providence Journal reported.Saccoccia, 62, a former Cranston precious metals dealer, argued for release because he is a nonviolent offender and has several medical conditions.Saccoccia is being held at Coleman federal prison in Florida, which his attorney called a “hotbed" of COVID-19.