Mealey's (December 16, 2020, 3:28 PM EST) -- NEW YORK — A federal judge in New York’s Dec. 15 ruling denying an insurance fraud defendant’s renewed motion for compassionate release on the ground that the heightened prevalence of COVID-19 at the correctional institution where he is housed is still not a compelling reason for early release prompted the defendant to file a notice of appeal on Dec. 16....