Keith Raniere will never be confused with William Wallace, the character Mel Gibson played in Braveheart.
Mel Gibson as William Wallace
Actually, Keith is pretty much the opposite of that character.
He’s a guy who’s been hiding behind women for his entire life.
First, his Mommy.
And, since then, every woman that he could convince to get between him and danger.
Keith Raniere with some of his protectors.
And that’s a very long list.
But since he’s been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), Keith has been pretty much on his own.
And that really hasn’t gone all that well for Keith.
Especially not when there’s been something scary to worry about.
Like some of the other prisoners who want to smack him around because of what he did to women – or simply because he’s such a pussy.
Or like many of the MDC guards who quickly realized that he’s a major pain-in-the-ass.
Or like the coronavirus that will soon be running rampant at MDC and every other prison and jail in the U.S. (MDC was the first federal prison to report an infected prisoner).
Coronavirus
And so it’s not exactly surprising that Keith has been begging to be put into isolation for the past 2 weeks so that he can avoid contact with any other MDC prisoner.
Unfortunately for Keith, the only people that MDC is isolating are prisoners who have tested positive for the coronavirus – and those who have been in direct contact with the infected prisoners.
And instead of truly isolating all those guys, MDC has put all of them in one unit by themselves (You gotta love BOP’s “logic” in this sort of situation!).
So, all of Keith’s begging has gone for naught – and has only reinforced the general opinion among his fellow inmates and the MDC guards that he’s just a whiny little bitch.
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Keith’s Attorneys to Get His Medical Records
Now, however, Keith has a new plan.
That’s because the medical staff at MDC have designated him to be at “high-risk” in terms of contracting the coronavirus.
Once they learned about that “high risk” designation, Keith’s attorneys immediately filed a motion to obtain all his medical records.
And just yesterday, that motion was granted by Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis.
Here’s the Order that was issued yesterday by Judge Garaufis:
By letter dated March 26, 2020, Defendant Keith Raniere moves this court for an order directing the Bureau of Prisons to release to his counsel Mr. Raniere’s institutional medical records as well as any records related to the Bureau of Prisons’ alleged designation of Mr. Raniere as “high-risk” in regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (See Raniere Letter Mot. (Dkt. 863).) In the letter, Mr. Raniere’s counsel also describes difficulties they have encountered in arranging legal calls with Mr. Raniere. (See id.)
Mr. Raniere’s motion is GRANTED. The Bureau of Prisons is DIRECTED to release to Mr. Raniere’s counsel by no later than 3:00 pm on Monday, March 30, 2020: (1) Mr. Raniere’s complete medical records from the time he entered into the custody of the Bureau of Prisons to the present, and (2) any documents or other records relating to the Bureau of Prisons’ designation of Mr. Raniere as “high-risk” in regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Counsel for the Government is further DIRECTED to communicate with the Bureau of Prisons regarding Mr. Raniere’s efforts to speak with his counsel and use best efforts to facilitate those communications.
Counsel for the Government shall submit a letter to the court providing a status update on Mr. Raniere’s ability to speak with his counsel by no later than 3:00 pm on Monday, March 30, 2020.
Soon after they get their hands on Keith’s medical records, his attorneys will request that Judge Garaufis release him from MDC
The question is…released to where?
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Be Careful What You Ask For
In the last few days, Raniere has been telling anyone who will listen that he’s about to get released from MDC because of his “high risk” designation.
Both guys said they were happy for him.
To date, several higher-profile federal inmates have had similar requests to be released turned down: e.g., Michael Avenatti, Michael Cohen, Bernie Madoff, R. Kelly, and Vincent Asaro.
But, insofar as is known, none of them had been designated as being at “high-risk” of contracting COVID-19.
Per the agency’s hierarchy, here’s who is classified as “high risk” by the Centers for Disease Control:
• People aged 65 years and older;
• People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility;
• People of any age with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] >40) or certain underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, such as those with diabetes, renal failure, or liver disease;
• People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma;
• People who have serious heart conditions; and
• People who are immunocompromised including cancer treatment.
So, let’s see which of these conditions might apply to Keith.
To begin with, he is only 59 years old.
And MDC is neither a nursing home nor a long-term care facility.
MDC animated mk10art
Although he’s a bit chubby – and shows no muscle tone whatsoever – he is not obese.
And as a former New York State record-holder in the 100-yard dash, it’s unlikely that he has any lung issues.
So, by process of elimination, it appears that Raniere’s “high risk” status must be linked to his heart or some previously undetected immunity issue.
Those kinds of issues would definitely qualify him for a “high risk” designation.
So, what exactly are Keith’s attorneys going to ask Judge Garaufis to do with him?
Surely, they’re not going to ask to have him placed on home confinement. As I explained in an earlier post, that is simply NOT going to happen.
Maybe they’ll ask to have him transferred to a Federal Medical Center.
Like the Devens Medical Center in Massachusetts – which is where John Tighe is finishing up his sentence.
Or the one in Butner, NC – which is where Bernie Madoff is waiting to die.
Although the BOP recently imposed a 30-day moratorium on prisoner transfers, they are still moving some prisoners around “to better manage the detention bed-space as well as assure that administrative facilities do not become overcrowded beyond available resources.”
But if Judge Garaufis won’t place Keith on home confinement (which he won’t) – or order that he be transferred to a BOP Medical Center (which he might) – about the only thing he can do is order MDC to set up an “Isolation Unit” for any prisoners that have been deemed to be at “high risk” of contracting COVID-19.
Given that MDC does not usually have that many inmates over the age of 65 – and given that most of the East tower there is currently not being used for anything – that could probably be done fairly easily.
Just think of it: The Vanguard Unit at MDC.
Viva Executive Success!
*****
Other Updates
Thus far, none of Keith’s missing legal files – or his long-awaited manifesto – have been found. Which is hard to believe given just how hard the MDC guards have been trying to crack that case.
And his new hairdo is starting to grow out – making him appear a lot less freaky than before.
Up until he found out about his “high-risk” designation, he had been pretty somber and morose.
Now, however, he’s much more optimistic and talkative.
Which is, of course, only making things worse for everyone else in his unit at MDC.
