Location | Manhattan, New York City |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°42′47″N74°00′07″W / 40.71306°N 74.00194°W |
Status | Inactive |
Security class | Administrative facility |
Population | 0 [1] |
Opened | 1975 |
Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
Warden | Marti Licon-Vitale [2] |
Website | www |
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York (MCC New York) is a temporarily closed United States federal administrative detention facility in the Civic Center of Lower Manhattan, New York City, located on Park Row behind the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse at Foley Square. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.
MCC New York holds male and female prisoners of all security levels. Most prisoners held at MCC New York have pending cases in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. MCC New York also holds prisoners serving brief sentences. [1]
The Los Angeles Times stated that the prison is often referred to as the "Guantanamo of New York", [3] and The New York Times stated that its administrative segregation units had severe security measures. [4]
Opened in 1975 in the Civic Center neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, [5] MCC New York was the first high-rise facility to be used by the Bureau of Prisons. [6] The jail was technically an extension of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, to which it was connected via a footbridge. [7] Prisoners were assigned to one of 10 separate, self-contained housing units, resulting in little movement within the facility. In 2002, it was widely reported that MCC New York was severely overcrowded. [6]
Numerous high-profile individuals have been held at MCC New York during court proceedings, including Gambino crime family bosses John Gotti and Jackie D'Amico, drug dealer Frank Lucas, Ponzi scheme fraudster Bernie Madoff, terrorists Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and weapons trafficker Viktor Bout. [8] After being extradited to the United States, Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was housed in the facility.
On August 26, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced that the prison would be temporarily closed because of its deteriorating condition. At the time of the announcement, 233 prisoners were held there. They were moved to other prisons while the department dealt with the problems. [9]
The correctional center is housed in a 12-story high-rise building located at 150 Park Row in the Civic Center neighborhood. In 2017, it had 796 inmates, both male and female, which is far more than its design capacity of 449. [10] [11] The facility has one female wing; seven General Population male wings, six of which feature cells and one is a dorm; one Special Housing Unit (SHU); and one maximum security unit. Each unit takes up two stories. All General Population units feature a gym (no weights), a kitchen (microwaves, hot water, ice), and five TV sets (one in the gym and four in the common area). Offices, classes, and computers are located on the unit's second floor. The jail is chronically understaffed. [11]
Inmates in the 10-South wing are locked inside single-man cells 23 hours a day that are continuously monitored by CCTV cameras and have lights on at all times. [4] [12] Prisoners are kept isolated: their cells are equipped with showers, and the only time they're taken outside their cells is for exercise in an indoor cage. No outdoor recreation is permitted. [12] Most 10-South prisoners are subject to special administrative measures, which severely restrict their communication with other prisoners and with the outside world. [12]
The 9-South wing is a designated SHU. It houses inmates that violated prison rules; new arrivals that have not been medically cleared for General Population yet; and inmates in Protective Custody (PC). [12] Both inmates in a cell are cuffed at the back through a food slot every time the cell door is to be opened. Inmates are escorted to the shower three times a week, always cuffed.[ citation needed ] The wing has leaky plumbing that results in prisoners encountering pools of standing water and sewage, and it also has rodent and cockroach infestations. [13] [14]
Inmate Name | Register Number | Photo | Status | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Omar Abdel-Rahman | 34892-054 [ permanent dead link ] | Deceased. Died of natural causes on February 18, 2017, after transfer to a medical unit at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, in North Carolina, while serving a life sentence plus 15 years under the name Omar Ahmad Rahman. | Leader of the terrorist organization al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya; convicted in 1995 of seditious conspiracy for masterminding a foiled plot to bomb high-profile targets in New York City, including the United Nations, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, and the George Washington Bridge in what is known as the New York City landmark bomb plot, as well as conspiring to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Nine followers are serving sentences at ADX and other federal facilities. [15] [16] | |
Abu Hamza al-Masri | 67495-054 | Transferred to ADX Florence. Serving a life sentence under the name Mostafa Kamel Mostafa. | Egyptian cleric and former associate of deceased Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden; extradited from the UK in 2012; convicted in 2014 of masterminding the 1998 kidnapping of Westerners in Yemen and conspiring to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon in 1999. [17] | |
Abu Anas al-Libi Khalid al-Fawwaz | Unknown 67497-054 | Al-Libi died on January 2, 2015, while awaiting trial. Al-Fawwaz is serving a life sentence at USP Victorville. [18] | High-ranking Al-Qaeda operatives; indicted in 2000 on conspiracy charges stemming from Al Qaeda's 1998 bombings of two US embassies in East Africa, which killed 224 people. [19] | |
Michael Avenatti | 86743-054 | Transferred to FCI Terminal Island. Serving a 19-year sentence; scheduled for release on January 17, 2036. | Convicted in New York of attempting to extort Nike and honest services fraud related to his client; also facing two other pending trials relating to tax evasion, filing false tax returns and allegations of defrauding clients including Stormy Daniels. [20] | |
Viktor Bout | 91641-054 | Transferred to USP Marion. Served a 25-year sentence; released on December 12, 2022 in a prisoner exchange with Russia for Brittney Griner. | Russian arms dealer; convicted in 2011 of conspiring to kill Americans and supplying anti-aircraft missiles and other weapons to FARC, a Marxist group on the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. [21] | |
Daryl Campbell | 75951-054 | Transferred to Brooklyn MDC. Serving a 35-year sentence. | Plead guilty to federal gun charges | |
Jeffrey Epstein | 76318-054 | Committed suicide by hanging in his cell on August 10, 2019; after being removed from a suicide watch. [22] [23] [24] | Sex trafficking charges. It was the first recorded suicide at MCC in 21 years. [25] | |
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani | 02476-748 | Transferred to ADX Florence, and then to USP McCreary. Serving a life sentence. | Al-Qaeda terrorist convicted for his role in the bombing of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He was on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list from its inception in October 2001. In 2004, he was captured and detained by Pakistani forces in a joint operation with the United States, and was held until June 9, 2009, at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States and sent to ADX Florence, but then later transferred to USP McCreary. | |
John Gotti | 18261-053 | Deceased. Died in 2002 at MCFP Springfield while serving a life sentence. | Boss of the Gambino Crime Family in New York City from 1985 to 1992; convicted of murder, murder conspiracy, loansharking, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice, bribery, and tax evasion in 1992. | |
Salvatore Gravano | Unlisted [ permanent dead link ] | Placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program in return for turning government witness in 1991; served a 19-year sentence in an Arizona prison after being convicted on state narcotics charges. [26] Released early in September 2017; was scheduled for release in March 2019. | Former underboss of the Gambino Crime Family; turned government witness and testified against boss John Gotti. [27] | |
Joaquín Guzmán | 89914-053 | Transferred to ADX Florence. [28] Serving a life sentence plus 30 years. | Known as "El Chapo" Guzmán, who on two prior occasions was able to escape High Security Facilities in Mexico, was extradited to the United States in 2017. He was accused of being the leader of a drug cartel with thousands of members, whose earnings are estimated to be in the billions. The charge coming out of the United States Court, Eastern District of New York, asserts that he and other members of the Sinaloa Cartel have used hired assassins to carry out murders, kidnappings, and torture. Time Out New York reported in August 2018 that the Brooklyn Bridge could be closed to traffic twice a day when Guzmán is transported across the river to face trial at the Federal District Court in Brooklyn. | |
Patrick Ho | 76101-054 | Convicted, served a three-year sentence. [29] Released on June 8, 2020. | Charged with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering. [30] Three years' imprisonment and fined $400,000 in March 2019. | |
Bernie Madoff | 61727-054 [ permanent dead link ] | Deceased. Served 11 years of a 150-year sentence at FCI Butner and then FMC Butner until his death on April 14, 2021. [31] | Former financier; pleaded guilty in 2009 to fraud, money laundering, perjury and theft for perpetrating the largest Ponzi scheme in US history, robbing thousands of investors of over $65 billion over 20 years; the story was featured on the CNBC television program American Greed . [32] [33] Died in 2021.[ citation needed ] | |
Paul Manafort | 35207-016 | Pardoned by President Donald Trump and released from federal custody on December 23, 2020. | Former Trump campaign manager, lobbyist, political consultant, and lawyer. Sentenced to 47 months in prison for lobbying violations and bank and tax fraud. Moved from FCI Loretto in June 2019. Expected to be released December 24, 2024, moved back to Loretto in August 2019. Pardoned by Trump on December 23, 2020. | |
Ahmad Khan Rahimi | 78312-054 | Transferred to ADX Florence. Serving two consecutive life sentences. | American-Afghan man from Elizabeth, New Jersey who was convicted in U.S. District Court and New Jersey state court for use of weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, attempted murder of law enforcement officers and various other charges. | |
Sayfullo Habibullaevich Saipov | 79715-054 | Transferred to ADX Florence. Serving ten concurrent life sentences plus 260 years. | Sayfullo is being held in MCC, New York on a conviction of perpetrating a terrorist attack in New York City. He was charged with Providing material support for a terrorist organization and Destruction of a motor vehicle. | |
Ross Ulbricht | 18870-111 | Transferred to USP Florence High, and finally transferred to USP Tucson. Serving two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years. | Creator and operator of the darknet market website the Silk Road. | |
Akayed Ullah | 79827-054 | Transferred to ADX Florence. Serving a life sentence plus 30 years. | Convicted in 2018 for terrorism in a plot to bomb the New York City Subway with explosives. | |
Ramzi Yousef | 03911-000 | Transferred to ADX Florence. Serving a life sentence plus 240 years. | Convicted in 1994 of terrorism conspiracy and other charges in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people and injured more than 1,000. Yousef was also convicted in 1996 of planning Project Bojinka, a foiled plot conceived by senior Al-Qaeda member Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to bomb twelve planes in a 48-hour period. [34] | |
John Zancocchio | 48744-080 | Released from federal custody on July 31, 2018. | Racketeering charges [35] | |
Chuck Zito | 12032-054 | Transferred to FCI Lewisburg Released from federal custody on April 13, 1990. | President of the New York Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in 1986 [36] | |
Rikers Island is a 413-acre (167.14-hectare) prison island in the East River in the Bronx that contains New York City's largest jail.
The United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility, commonly known as ADX Florence or the Florence Supermax, is an American federal prison in Fremont County to the south of Florence, Colorado, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. ADX Florence, constructed in 1994 and opened one year later, is classed as a supermax or "control unit" prison, that provides a higher, more controlled level of custody than a regular maximum security prison. ADX Florence forms part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, which is situated on 49 acres of land and houses different facilities with varying degrees of security, including the adjacent United States Penitentiary, Florence High.
A super-maximum security (supermax) or administrative maximum (ADX) prison is a "control-unit" prison, or a unit within prisons, which represents the most secure level of custody in the prison systems of certain countries.
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, commonly known as "El Chapo", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán is believed to be responsible for the deaths of over 34,000 people, and was considered to be the most powerful drug trafficker in the world until he was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life in prison.
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago is a United States federal prison in Chicago, Illinois, which holds male and female prisoners of all security levels prior to and during court proceedings in the Northern District of Illinois, as well as inmates serving brief sentences. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.
The Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn is a United States federal administrative detention facility in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It holds male and female prisoners of all security levels. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.
Jeffrey Edward Epstein was an American financier and sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional life as a teacher at the Dalton School despite lacking a college degree. After his dismissal from the school in 1976, he entered the banking and finance sector, working at Bear Stearns in various roles before starting his own firm. Epstein cultivated an elite social circle and procured many women and children whom he and his associates sexually abused.
Jeffrey Harris Lichtman is a New York-based criminal defense lawyer.
The United States Penitentiary, Florence High is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Florence High is part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, which is situated on 49 acres (20 ha) of land and houses different facilities with varying degrees of security. It is named "Florence High" in order to differentiate it from the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADMAX, the federal supermax prison located in the same complex.
The Federal Correctional Complex, Butner is a United States federal prison complex for men near Butner, North Carolina. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. FCC Butner is about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Raleigh, the state capital. It includes the Bureau's largest medical complex, which operates a drug treatment program and specializes in oncology and behavioral science. Among its inmates was Bernie Madoff, who was convicted for perpetrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history. He died at the prison in April 2021.
The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center was an 800-bed jail barge used to hold inmates for the New York City Department of Corrections. The barge was anchored off the Bronx's southern shore, across from Rikers Island, near Hunts Point. It was built for $161 million at Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana, along the Mississippi River near New Orleans, and brought to New York in 1992 to reduce overcrowding in the island's land-bound buildings for a lower price. Nicknamed "The Boat" by prison staff and inmates, it was designed to handle inmates from medium- to maximum-security in 16 dormitories and 100 cells.
The Cook County Jail, located on 96 acres in South Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois, is operated by the Sheriff of Cook County. It is sometimes referred to as California or Hotel California, as its address is on California Avenue. A city jail has existed on this site since after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but major County prisoners were not generally collocated here until closure of the old Hubbard Street Criminal Court Building and jail in 1929. Since then, a 1920s neoclassical and art deco courthouse for the criminal division of the Cook County Circuit Court has operated at the South Lawndale complex.
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is the agency responsible for incarceration of convicted felons in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is headquartered in the Alabama Criminal Justice Center in Montgomery.
The United States Penitentiary, Canaan is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in northeastern Pennsylvania, with a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.
A prison consultant provides newly convicted criminals with advice on how to cope and survive in the unfamiliar surroundings of prison. Prison consultants may also provide a client's attorney with advice on how to lobby the sentencing judge for a shorter sentence, and how to get a client sentenced to a lower security level prison. They may advise white-collar and celebrity criminals, high-level drug dealers and disgraced politicians to help them navigate the society of prison and make the most of their stay.
Emma Modesta Coronel Aispuro is an American former teenage beauty queen. She is the wife of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, considered Mexico's most-wanted drug lord until he was imprisoned for life. In February 2021, she was arrested in the United States on charges of conspiracy to unlawfully import and distribute illegal drugs, money laundering, and transacting business with a significant foreign narcotics trafficker designated under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. In November 2021, Coronel was sentenced to three years in prison.
United States of America v. Joaquín Guzmán Loera was a federal criminal court case against Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, a Mexican drug lord and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán was extradited from Mexico to the United States in January 2017, where he pleaded not guilty to all counts against him in Brooklyn, New York. His charges included drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder. His defense asserted that he was not the organized crime leader that the prosecution claimed. The trial, often characterized as a trial of the century, began on November 5, 2018, and lasted until February 12, 2019, when the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts. He was sentenced on July 17, 2019 to a prison term of life.
On August 10, 2019, guards found American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein unresponsive in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. After prison guards performed CPR, he was transported in cardiac arrest to the New York Downtown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:39 am. The New York City medical examiner and the Justice Department Inspector General ruled that Epstein's death was a suicide by hanging. Epstein's lawyers challenged the medical examiner's conclusion and opened their own investigation, hiring pathologist Michael Baden.
Ovidio Guzmán López is a Mexican former drug lord and high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in the state of Sinaloa. He is the son of another drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, once considered Mexico's most-wanted drug lord and the world's most-wanted criminal. Guzmán López was suspected of being a leader within a Sinaloa Cartel faction often referred to as Los Chapitos, Los Menores, and/or Los Juniors.
Beyond its isolation, the wing is infested with rodents and cockroaches, and inmates often have to navigate standing water — as well as urine and fecal matter — that spills from faulty plumbing, accounts from former inmates and lawyers said. One lawyer said mice often eat his clients' papers.
Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has been found guilty on all 10 counts at his drug trafficking trial at a federal court in New York.