As citizens across the nation debated the merits of compassionate prison releases for the likes of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and lawyer Michael Cohen, a less familiar name with a Connecticut connection came up Wednesday, when former counterfeiter Louis "The Coin" Colavecchio was granted release from a North Carolina lockup.

Earning his nickname for his proficiency in counterfeiting casino currency, including $100 slot machine tokens, Colavecchio was a fixture among New England gangsters in the 1990s, when he became known for defrauding casinos in Connecticut and New Jersey, before being arrested and convicted of related charges in 1998. In 2006, at age 64, he was convicted of resisting  lawful arrest, and in 2014 he was found guilty of drug charges including running a sophisticated marijuana growing operation. In August 2019 he was sentenced to 15 months' confinement at Federal Medical Center Butner in Durham County, North Carolina .

With his days of crime reportedly behind him, Colavecchio's colorful story and personality have become local legend. He was the subject of a 2015 book, "You Thought It Was More: Adventures of the World's Greatest Counterfeiter, Louis The Coin," by IceBox Publishing, which featured Colavecchio collaborating on the story with private investigator and Waterbury Republican City Editor Andy Thibault and Gateway Community College professor Franz Douskey. The Coin's tale was also featured in an episode of the History Channel's "Breaking Vegas," with actor Angelo Fierro playing Colavecchio.

In recent months, Colavecchio, now 78, faced an array of health problems, including COPD, dyslipidemia and hypertension, and he was recently diagnosed with dementia. Thibault said the combination of conditions presented a dire situation for The Coin. As he became increasingly confused and more susceptible to diseases, including COVID-19, according to a May 8 motion  for release, Colavecchio was forced to remain behind bars as his working daughter in Rhode Island said she was unable to provide housing and care. She is now ready to take him in, Thibault said.

Thibault said covering Colavecchio's story resulted in a lasting friendship and acknowledged he lobbied strongly for The Coin's release. He applauded this week's decision to grant the motion.

"I'm very grateful for the work of public defender Joanne Daley on behalf of Louis. As a speaker and as an author, Louis hopefully will have a way to earn money within the law," Thibault said. "He's a charismatic fellow, and does not pretend to be a saint; he's a very straightforward person in this regard, and I've missed him."

'Louis' patron saint'

Judge John J. McConnell Jr., chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, signed the decision to release Colavecchio Wednesday, reducing his sentence to "time served." McConnell ruled Colavecchio would remain in the Bureau of Prisons custody "only until an appropriate release plan is in place, and then the defendant shall be released immediately. There is no period of supervised release."

The decision ends a monthslong effort to free Colavecchio amid dangerous conditions, which friends said would have likely resulted in his death in prison amid the rapidly spreading COVID-19 disease.

Melvin Scott, founding member at Scott & Scott in Colchester who represented Colavecchio in the 1990s, credited Thibault for his persistence in lobbying for his former client's release.

"Andy is really the guy who got him out," Scott said. "He is Louis' patron saint."

Scott, who at 93 is still practicing in Connecticut, said of all the people he has represented in his 50-plus-year career, Colavecchio is "one of the most memorable guys I've ever represented" and "a well-spoken, very congenial guy."

That said, Scott noted that The Coin's mouth sometimes got him into trouble.

"He's a man of interest, but while he has many virtues he can be an unfiltered fool," Scott said. "But at the core, I would say he's a good fool. He's one of the most talented chaps that I ever met in a very wide range of endeavors. And notwithstanding his verbosity, he was a good client, because he knew what he knew—and he knew what he didn't know."

Colavecchio was expected to remain at FMC Butner only until securing travel arrangements to his daughter's home in Rhode Island. Friends said arrangements are underway.

This story has been updated to clarify some of Louis Colavecchio's criminal history prior to his sentencing in 2019.