A 76-year-old grandmother in Baltimore was arrested and will be sent back to federal prison because she did not answer her phone while in a computer training class.
Gwen Levi, a cancer survivor and caretaker to her 94-year-old mother, was originally released early by former President Donald Trump under the CARES Act to home confinement in June 2020. She was sentenced to 24 years in prison for heroin distribution but was released after 16 years to serve the rest of her time in home confinement due to the pandemic, according to the Washington Post and USA Today.
The Post told readers that Levi was “thriving” during her yearlong stint at home as she was reunited with her mother and children. She also was volunteering and began a computer word-processing class in hopes of securing future employment.
But Levi’s new lease on life, however, ended abruptly one year later. When officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons attempted to contact Levi by phone and didn’t get a reply for a few hours on June 12, it was considered a violation worthy of reimprisonment.
Gwen Levi. 76. Caged 16 yrs for heroin. Finally released, but condemned to home confinement. Living w/ mom. Volunteering. Looking for work. Reconnecting w/ kids. Then suddenly reimprisoned. For not answering phone during a course she was taking. Not unique.https://t.co/qmyQSO9CsS
— Scott Hechinger 🆓 (@ScottHech) June 26, 2021
Levi is but one of many people who are returned to prison for what some consider trivial reasons. Her attorney corroborated Levi’s whereabouts at the time in question.
“She’s been in a Washington, D.C., jail pending transfer to a federal facility since June 12. “There’s no question she was in class,” her lawyer, Sapna Mirchandani, told The Washington Post. “As I was told, because she could have been robbing a bank, they’re going to treat her as if she was robbing a bank.”
Through the attorney, Levi denies the BOP’s insinuation that she was engaged in wrongdoing.
“I feel like I was attempting to do all the right things,” Levi said in a statement. “Breaking rules is not who I am. I tried to explain what happened, and to tell the truth. At no time did I think I wasn’t supposed to go to that class. I apologize to my mother and my family for what this is doing to them.”
Meanwhile, advocates have asked President Biden to follow through on continued criminal justice reforms.
.@POTUS campaigned on criminal justice reform. He has an opportunity to do just that by granting clemency to Gwen Levi, @MsWendyKH and the 4,000 others on CARES Act home confinement. President Biden must act and he must act ASAP. https://t.co/yqnIssixgN
— Daniel Landsman (@Dan_Landsman) June 28, 2021
https://twitter.com/heathermyt/status/1409229615885963267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1409229615885963267%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbossip.com%2F2029714%2Fgwen-levi-arrested%2F
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