Originally published May 4, 2021. Statements about the law were updated in October 2026; the box below gives today’s rules.

In April 2021, a federal judge in California granted compassionate release to David Lonich. Lonich, 66, has prostate cancer and other health problems and had already had COVID-19. He will serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement.

United States v. Lonich

United States District Court for the Northern District of California

2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81562

Background of the case

David Lonich suffers from prostate cancer, hypertension, high cholesterol and sleep apnea.

In October 2018, the court sentenced him to 80 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. His convictions were for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, money laundering, false bank entries and obstruction of justice.

He had served about 41 percent of his sentence, with a projected release date of June 19, 2024. He asked for compassionate release based on several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why the judge said yes

On December 22, 2020, Lonich was diagnosed with COVID-19. He had since received one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. But the court said that, given how much was still unknown about COVID-19, there was no way to be sure how well the vaccine would work or whether he could be infected again.

The court also found that Lonich is not a danger to the community. He has no prior criminal record and has “kept all court appearances, complied with conditions of pretrial release, and is not viewed as a flight risk or a danger to the community.”

After release, Lonich will live in a home in Montgomery, Alabama that U.S. Probation has screened and approved. He will be in the care of his wife, who has no criminal record and owns no weapons.

What the court ordered

The court granted Lonich’s motion and reduced his prison sentence to time served. It added a term of supervised release with home confinement for the length of his current sentence of imprisonment (until June 19, 2024). After that, he will serve the supervised release term from his original sentence.

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