Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna

Last updated
Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna
FCI.LATUNA.jpg
Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna
Location Anthony, El Paso County, Texas
Coordinates 31°58′56″N106°35′26″W / 31.98222°N 106.59056°W / 31.98222; -106.59056
StatusOperational
Security classLow-security (with minimum-security prison camp)
Population965 (157 in prison camp) [1]
Managed by Federal Bureau of Prisons

The Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna (FCI La Tuna) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Anthony, Texas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. A satellite prison camp, located adjacent to the facility, houses minimum-security inmates.

Contents

FCI La Tuna is located on the Texas-New Mexico border, 12 miles (19 km) north of El Paso, Texas. [2]

Letters from La Tuna

From May to September 2013, the El Paso Times published a series of letters written by Bob Jones, a longtime El Paso businessman serving a 10-year sentence on corruption and fraud convictions at FCI La Tuna. Known as "Letters from La Tuna," Jones wrote the letters to his family to "warn you and all of our loved ones and friends away from any misdeeds or illegal behavior" and give readers insight into the harsh consequences of breaking the law. In the first article, Jones described being detained in a private prison in Otero County, New Mexico after he was sentenced on February 17, 2011 and contracting E. coli bacteria from undercooked food and becoming ill with dysentery. Still sick, he was transferred to FCI La Tuna in May 2011:

I was loaded with nine other men into a van and taken to La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution, throwing up all the way. Once I was checked in, I was taken by wheelchair to my new home -- and a different type of hell in Unit 6 (handicapped unit) at La Tuna. The things that saved my life were my "cellies" (my cell mates, the other five men in the six-man cell that I was assigned to live in, a 10-by-10-foot room). These men fed me and wheeled me to the bathroom, food service (sometimes) and to the medical office.

Jones subsequently suffered kidney failure and was sent to a local hospital twice, each stay lasting about 30 days before he was sent back to FCI La Tuna. Jones wrote that while in the hospital, he was chained to the bed and was watched by guards 24 hours a day. However, Jones noted that the conditions at FCI La Tuna were better in comparison to the private prison he came from: "La Tuna is far more what I expected of prison -- food, guards, management bureaucracy" and added "the inmates [at FCI La Tuna] are mostly men who are in prison for far too long a term for their crimes." [3]

Notable inmates (current and former)

Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails
Lee Baca 73171-112 Released on August 23, 2022Former Sheriff of Los Angeles County. Convicted of obstructing federal investigators. [4]
Anthony Curcio 38974-086 Released from custody in 2013; served 6 years. [5] Former college football player and real estate investor; convicted in 2009 of masterminding an elaborate armored car heist, during which he wore a rip-away landscaper disguise, stashed an inner tube in a nearby creek, floated to a nearby getaway car and escaped with $400,000. [6] [7]
Max Hardcore 44902-112 Released from custody on July 19, 2011; served 2 and a half years. [8] [9] American porn producer, director and performer. Was convicted on obscenity charges and sentenced to 46 months in prison. [10]
Ira Isaacs 45196-112 Released from custody in 2017; served 26 months.Pornographic film director. Convicted of five federal counts of selling and distributing obscene material in 2012. [11]
George Jung 19225-004 Released from custody in 2014; served nearly 20 years. [12] Major player in the cocaine trade in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. Jung was a part of the Medellín Cartel, which was responsible for up to 89 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States. He specialized in the smuggling of cocaine from Colombia on a large scale. His life story was portrayed in the 2001 film Blow , starring Johnny Depp. [13]
Pee Wee Kirkland Released from custody in 1988; served 7 years. [14] American former streetball player and drug kingpin. [15]
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula 56329-112 Released from custody in 2013; served 1 year. [16] Egyptian-born Coptic Christian; produced the anti-Islamic video Innocence of Muslims in 2012, which sparked violent protests in the Middle East; arrested for violating the terms of his probation from a 2010 check fraud conviction. [17] [18]
Steven Nigg 10896-089 Currently in custody of RRM Phoenix, scheduled to be released in 2024.Convicted of armed robbery, known famously for assaulting Jared Fogle at FCI Englewood.
Benjamin Hoskins Paddock Escaped from custody in 1968. [19] Paddock's escape landed him on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list where he would remain until 1977, making him one of the longest-tenured fugitives ever on that list. His son, Stephen Craig Paddock, carried out the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.
Nicodemo Scarfo 09813-050 Imprisoned in August 1982 and released from custody in January 1984."Little Nicky" Scarfo. La Cosa Nostra mafia boss of Philadelphia mob. Imprisoned on parole violation for gun possession (0.22 calibre handgun). Became friends with George Jung while imprisoned in La Tuna. Scarfo later was imprisoned on a separate 55-year sentence where he died of natural causes on January 15, 2017 at FMC Butner.
Joseph Valachi Died in custody in 1971 while serving a life sentence.In the 1963 Valachi hearings before the United States Senate, Valachi, an Italian-American Mafia lieutenant, disclosed previously unknown information about the Mafia including its structure, operations, rituals and membership. This was the first concrete evidence to federal authorities and the general public that the Mafia existed.
Henry Uliomereyon Jones 46810-112 Scheduled for release in October 2023.Former record company executive; convicted in 2008 of mail fraud, wire fraud, and securities fraud for running a Ponzi scheme that caused 500 investors to lose over $32 million; the story was featured on the CNBC series American Greed . [20] [21] [22] [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

Robert Edward Jones is a Texas businessman and convicted criminal. He was formerly CEO of the National Center for Employment of the Disabled (NCED), which was based in El Paso, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Marianna</span> Medium-security United States prison in Florida

The Federal Correctional Institution, Marianna is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Marianna, Florida. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also includes an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum-security female offenders. It lies adjacent to the Marianna Municipal Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Milan</span> Prison in York Township, Michigan

The Federal Correctional Institution, Milan is a U.S. federal prison in Michigan, with most of the prison in York Township, and a portion in Milan. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc</span> Prison in Lompoc, California, United States

The Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Lompoc, California. It is part of the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto</span> Low-security United States prison in Pennsylvania

The Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Pennsylvania. An adjacent satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male offenders. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth</span> U.S. medical prison in Texas

The Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth is an administrative-security United States federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, for male inmates of all security levels with special medical and mental health needs. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson</span> US federal prison in Arizona

The Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates with an administrative facility for male and female offenders. It is part of the Tucson Federal Correctional Complex and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno</span> Medium-security United States prison in Oklahoma

Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Oklahoma. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility has an adjacent satellite camp for minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood</span> Low-security United States federal prison for male inmates

The Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an administrative detention center and an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum-security offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Three Rivers</span> Medium-security United States prison in Texas

The Federal Correctional Institution, Three Rivers is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Live Oak County, Texas. It is operated by Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp which houses minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix</span> Medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Arizona

The Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Arizona. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum-security female offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland</span> Low-security United States prison in Kentucky

The Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in the unincorporated area of Summit in Boyd County, Kentucky, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) outside the city of Ashland. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. It also includes a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Beaumont</span>

The Federal Correctional Institution, Beaumont is a United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Jefferson County, Texas. It is part of the Beaumont Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. It consists of two facilities:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Oakdale</span>

The Federal Correctional Institution, Oakdale is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Louisiana. It is part of the Oakdale Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Elkton</span> Low-security United States prison in Ohio

The Federal Correctional Institution, Elkton is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates near Elkton, Ohio. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. It also has an adjacent satellite prison camp that houses low and minimum-security male inmates.

The Federal Correctional Complex, Petersburg is a United States federal prison complex for male inmates in Petersburg, Virginia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Big Spring</span> Federal prison in Big Spring, Texas

The Federal Correctional Institution, Big Spring is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Texas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has a satellite prison camp which houses minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City</span> US federal prison

The Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City is a United States federal prison for male inmates in Arkansas. It is part of the Forrest City Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. FCC Forrest City is located in eastern Arkansas, 85 miles east of Little Rock and 45 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Petersburg</span> U.S. prison in Prince George County, Virginia

The Federal Correctional Institution, Petersburg is a United States federal prison for low- and medium-security male inmates. It is part of the Petersburg Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Virginia and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. An adjacent satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male offenders. FCI Petersburg consists of two facilities:

The Federal Correctional Institution, Hazelton is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates, as well as a secure facility for female inmates, located in unincorporated Preston County, West Virginia. It is the newest facility in the federal prison system and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The New York Times notes that its nickname is "Misery Mountain".

References

  1. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Prisons, FCI La Tuna (archived at Archive.org)". Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ "BOP: FCI La Tuna". Federal Bureau of Prisons.
  3. ↑ Jones, Bob (2011). "Bob Jones writes about his first 180 days in prison". El Paso Times. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "LA County ex-Sheriff Lee Baca reports to prison for corruption". Fox News . 5 February 2020.
  5. ↑ Stangeland, Brooke (June 20, 2013). "Reporter's Notebook: On the Trail of a Bank Robber". ABC News. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Doughery, Phil. "D.B. Tuber". History Link.
  7. ↑ Stangeland, Brooke. "Reporter's Notebook: On the Trail of a Bank Robber". ABC news.
  8. ↑ Kernes, Mark (January 29, 2009). "Max Hardcore Surrenders To U.S. Marshals". AVN.com. p. 1. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Prisons". Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  10. ↑ Nolan, Hamilton (October 3, 2008). "Sleazy Pornographer Is Unfortunately A First Amendment Martyr". Gawker. Gawker. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ Dillon, Nancy (June 9, 2008). "Ira Isaacs, 'shock artist,' on trial because of special decency task force". Daily News. New York.
  12. ↑ Zach Schonfeld (June 6, 2014). "'Blow' Drug Trafficker George Jung Released From Jail". Newsweek . Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ Matthew Guariglia (2 June 2014). "George Jung Released: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". heavy.com . Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  14. ↑ Buckheit, Mary (February 7, 2008). "From American gangster to crossover legends". ESPN. p. 2. Retrieved October 19, 2022. Drafted by the Bulls in the 13th round in 1968 out of Norfolk State, he left the team in preseason and by 1971 was locked up in the maximum security prison in Lewisburg, Pa., on drug-related conspiracy chargers. Four years later, he got out -- only to land behind the bars of the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas from 1981 to 1988.
  15. ↑ Buckheit, Mary (February 7, 2008). "From American gangster to crossover legends". ESPN. p. 2. Retrieved October 19, 2022. Enshrined in hip-hop lyrics and New York City lore, the drug kingpin and Rucker Park street ball legend Pee Wee Kirkland created a revolution all his own in the 1960s and '70s.
  16. ↑ Gorman, Steve (September 26, 2013). "California man behind anti-islam film freed from federal custody". Reuters. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  17. ↑ Barnes, Brooks (November 7, 2012). "Man Behind Anti-Islam Video Gets Prison Term". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  18. ↑ "California man behind anti-Islam film jailed for probation violation". Fox News. Associated Press. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Benjamin Hoskins Paddock, Shiner Gazette (Shiner, Texas) March 2, 1972, page 3". Shiner Gazette. 1972-03-02. p. 3. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  20. ↑ Celizic, Mike (2 April 2010). "Daughter turns mom in for Ponzi scheme". NBC News. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  21. ↑ "Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison in $32 Million Scam that Bilked More Than 500 Victims in Coal Mines and a Secret Gold Transaction". The Federal Bureau of Investigation. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  22. ↑ "United States of America v. Henry Uliomereyon Jones" (PDF). U.S. Court of Appeals. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "American Greed Case File: Fool's Gold". CNBC. 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.