CHANG Ru Meng Backman has asked the federal court to grant her request for a compassionate release and reduction of sentence because of Covid-19.
In her 20-page motion, Backman, who represents herself, said if no action is taken on her request the outcome could be devastating.
She said she was in the process of obtaining her Federal Bureau of Prisons medical records to file a request for compassionate release when the coronavirus broke out.
She said the bureau is now overwhelmed with similar requests.
“Coronavirus is known to cause serious health complications for individuals with, and worse for, pre-existing conditions. A coronavirus exposure is the equivalent of a death sentence that this court did not impose on Backman,” her motion stated.
“If she is not released from custody before the virus runs rampant at her jail, it will place her at risk of contracting the disease and suffering serious health complications, or worse. Contracting the coronavirus in prison could be a death sentence,” the motion added.
She said the coronavirus is a “particular threat to prison populations because of the circumstances of confinement and the inmates’ proximity to each other.”
She added that “it is estimated that more than 70% of all federal prisoners tested have tested positive for Covid-19.”
Backman said if her motion is granted, she will reside with her family in Tianjin, China, and will quarantine as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by the U.S. attorney general’s directives.
Backman said her family can support her financially during home confinement, adding that she will obtain private health insurance as soon as she is released.
In March 2021, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI denied the request of Backman for an appointment of a federal public defender to assist her in formally moving for a compassionate release.
The judge said although the court “has discretion to appoint counsel if the interest of justice so requires, there is no constitutional right to appoint counsel in post-conviction proceedings.”
Backman, a former karaoke bar operator on Saipan, is serving a prison sentence of 19 years and nine months for sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.
She was convicted after a jury trial in June 2013.
