United States Penitentiary, Victorville

Last updated
United States Penitentiary, Victorville
VictorvilleUSP.jpg
United States Penitentiary, Victorville
Location Victorville, California
Coordinates 34°34′10.2″N117°21′45.0″W / 34.569500°N 117.362500°W / 34.569500; -117.362500
StatusOperational
Security classHigh-security
Population1,126 (September 2023)
Opened2004
Managed by Federal Bureau of Prisons
Warden Francisco J. Quintana

The United States Penitentiary, Victorville (USP Victorville) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. It is part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville (FCC Victorville) and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

Contents

FCC Victorville is located on land that was formerly part of George Air Force Base, located within the city limits, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of central Victorville, California, and is approximately 85 miles (137 km) northeast of Los Angeles. [1]

History

USP Victorville, opened on October 21, 2004 as a high-security prison which cost $101.4 million. It was constructed by Hensel Phelps Construction Company of Irvine, California and the Crosby Group Design Firm of Redwood City, California. The security systems were designed by Buford Goff and Associates of Columbia, South Carolina.

Facility

Aerial view of United States Penitentiary Victorville United States Penitentiary Victorville aerial.jpg
Aerial view of United States Penitentiary Victorville

USP Victorville is 630,000 square feet (59,000 m2) and is designed to house 960 male inmates in six housing units. Six V-shaped buildings (units 1–3 on east side, units 4–6 on west side) facing each other and a larger maintenance building surround a central yard with a tower in the middle. Six additional towers are lined along the rectangular-shaped facility. The facility is surrounded by a lethal electrical double fence, a 2 m (6.6 ft) brickstone wall on its northern side and a view protection fence on its western side. Cells are approximately 4 m × 2 m (13.1 ft × 6.6 ft) in size equipped with a bunkbed, a stainless steel sink-toilet combination and a small table with a non-removable stool. Cells are usually occupied by two inmates and are air-conditioned. The administrative and disciplinary unit (SHU) can hold 238 inmates. Cells in the disciplinary unit have showers and are occupied by three inmates when overcrowding occurs (one inmate is forced to sleep on the floor in such cases). [2]

Inmate life

Prisoners have access to the text-based e-mail program known as TRULINCS (Trust Fund Limited Inmate Communication System). Prisoners are allowed only 13,000 characters per e-mail, and attachments cannot be sent, received, or viewed. Inmates are not allowed to retain more than two newspapers, 10 magazines and 25 letters in their cells. They are allowed to place phone calls to up to 30 approved numbers. Phone calls are restricted to 15 minutes per call and five hours per month. Inmates pay for their phone calls through their trust accounts. Inmates can buy additional food, hygiene articles and clothes from commissary for a maximum of $290 a month. [2]

Inmates are counted 5 to 6 times a day at 12:01 a.m., 3:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. (stand-up count), 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. (on weekends and holidays). Initial work movements start at 4:30 a.m. and inmates must be up at 7:30 a.m. All inmates must be back to their cells at 10:00 p.m. [2]

Notable incidents

On April 11, 2005, USP Victorville inmate Scott Fischer (who used several aliases including Peter Steven Scopazzi, the name on his prison death certificate) was fatally slashed by another inmate, reportedly over a dispute regarding less than $10.00 worth of tobacco.

USP Victorville inmate Tony Richard Padilla died at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center on August 12, 2006, from injuries sustained during a fight with another inmate. [3]

On the afternoon of May 13, 2009, several inmates at USP Victorville attacked inmate Gregory Francis Ritter of Waikiki, Hawaii, who was serving a 33-month sentence for drug and weapons possession, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Ritter was transported to a local hospital by ambulance and later flown to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in critical condition. Ritter died of his injuries at 7:13 p.m. [4] [5]

On October 1, 2013, inmate Javier Sanders was found beaten to death in his cell. Sanders was serving a 10-year sentence for federal drug crimes. Fifty-three-year-old David Snow, the former president of the Aryan Brotherhood of Ohio, was found beaten to death on November 13, 2013 (Snow had been convicted in 2005 of possession of a firearm and 50 tablets of oxycodone and had been sentenced to 180 months' confinement. [6] ). The next day, 40-year-old David Serra was found dead in what was determined to be a suicide. Serra had been at the prison for only five months, and was serving a 30-year sentence for second-degree murder and deadly use of a firearm. [7]

On June 21, 2014, two inmates were found dead in the prison. The deaths were quickly ruled homicides, [8] and the victims were later identified as 24-year-old Brian Kountz and 49-year-old Robert Howard Ferguson. In 2013, Kountz had been sentenced in Wyoming to 80 months in prison for an armed robbery. Ferguson had been sentenced the same year in Las Vegas, Nevada, to 80 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. [9] Three days later, news outlets reported that 48-year-old Daniel Casto (60992-065) of Sweet Home, Oregon, had been identified as a suspect and placed in a restricted housing unit within USP Victorville. [10] Casto is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX, a high-security federal prison in Colorado, with a release date in 2031.

Serious incidents of violence at federal prisons are investigated by the FBI.

Notable inmates (current and former)

†The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 eliminated parole for federal inmates. However, inmates sentenced for offenses committed prior to 1987 are eligible for parole consideration. [11]

High-profile inmates

Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails
Mutulu Shakur 83205-012 Transferred to FMC Lexington Shakur was one of six Black Liberation Army members to carry out the Brink's robbery of 1981.
Gerardo Hernandez 58739-004 Sentenced to life in 2001; sentence commuted by President Barack Obama in 2014. [12] Leader of the Cuban Five spy network; convicted in 2001 of conspiracy to commit murder and espionage for sending classified information to Cuban intelligence officials, who used it to shoot down a plane flown by four members of the anti-Castro group Brothers to the Rescue. [13]
Lontrell Williams, Jr 52490-509 Currently Incarcerated — set for release in January 2026Williams is better known as Memphis rapper/gang leader Pooh Shiesty. Williams pled guilty in January 2022 to federal charges relating to an October 2020 robbery/shooting in the Miami, FL area.

Organized Crime

Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails
Javier Vasquez-Velasco 91039-012 Serving a life sentence; eligible for parole in 2049.†Former bodyguard for Hondureño drug lord Juan Matta-Ballesteros; convicted in 1990 of murder in aid of racketeering for killing two tourists he mistook for DEA agents; suspected of involvement in the 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. [14]
James Sweeney 58827=066 Serving a life sentence.Leader of Maryland prison gang Dead Man Incorporated, convicted of conspiracy to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise and conspiracy to distribute drugs and sentenced to life imprisonment. [15]
Christopher Londonio 72210-054 Serving a life sentence. Lucchese crime family soldier, convicted of the murder of East Harlem Purple Gang leader Michael Meldish in 2013. In October 2019, it was reported that Londonio planned to escape the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn in 2017 by breaking through a window using dental floss and then using bed sheets to climb down to the street.
Tony Hernández 64110-298 Serving a life sentence.Honduran drug trafficker, former congressman, and brother of President Juan Orlando Hernández. Serving a life sentence for distribution of cocaine, firearms, and false testimony offenses . [16]

Terrorists

Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails
Khalid al-Fawwaz 67497-054 Serving a life sentence.Convicted for his involvement in the 1998 United States embassy bombings.
Abdul Murad 37437-054 Serving a life sentence. Al-Qaeda operative; convicted in 1996 of terrorism conspiracy in connection with planning Project Bojinka, a foiled plot conceived by senior Al-Qaeda member Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to bomb twelve planes over the Pacific Ocean in a 48-hour period. [17] [18]

Others

Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails
Edgar Steele 14226-023 Died in custody in 2014 while serving a 50-year sentence.Idaho attorney who defended the Aryan Nations in a 2000 lawsuit filed by two hate crime victims; convicted of attempted murder for hire in 2011 for paying an individual $10,000 to kill his wife and mother-in-law with a pipe bomb. [19] [20] [21]
Lenny Dykstra 57780-112 Sentenced to three years in prison. Released after six-and-a-half months in July 2013.Former Major League Baseball player for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. Charged with 25 misdemeanor and felony counts of grand theft auto, identity theft, filing false financial statements and possession of cocaine, ecstasy and the human growth hormone (HGH) known as Somatropin. Pleaded no contest to grand theft auto and providing false financial statements in exchange for dropping the drug charges. [22] [23] [24]
Johnny Orsinger 48683-008Serving a life sentence.Participated in the carjacking and double murder of a woman and her granddaughter in Arizona; his accomplice, Lezmond Charles Mitchell, was executed at USP Terre Haute in 2020. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth</span> Civilian federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, near Fort Leavenworth

The United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth is a medium security U.S. penitentiary in northeast Kansas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. It also includes a satellite federal prison camp (FPC) for minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Atwater</span> Federal prison near Atwater, California

The United States Penitentiary, Atwater is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Merced County, California. The institution also includes a minimum-security satellite camp. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, McCreary</span> Federal prison in Kentucky, United States

The United States Penitentiary, McCreary is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated McCreary County, Kentucky. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp for male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Coleman</span> High-security United States federal prison in Florida

The United States Penitentiary, Coleman I and II are high-security United States federal prisons for male inmates in Florida. It is part of the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Coleman I was opened in 2001, and in 2004 Clark Construction completed a 555,000-square-foot (51,600 m2) additional component for USP Coleman II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Silverstein</span> American murderer (1952–2019)

Thomas Edward Silverstein was an American gangster who spent the last 42 years of his life in prison after being convicted of four separate murders while imprisoned for armed robbery, one of which was overturned. Silverstein spent the last 36 years of his life in solitary confinement for killing Corrections Officer Merle Clutts at the Marion Penitentiary in Illinois. Prison authorities described him as a brutal killer and a former leader of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. Silverstein maintained that the dehumanizing conditions inside the prison system contributed to the three murders he committed. He was held "in a specially designed cell" in what is called "Range 13" at ADX Florence federal penitentiary in Colorado. He was the longest-held prisoner in solitary confinement within the Bureau of Prisons at the time of his death. Many prison guards refused to talk to Silverstein out of respect for Clutts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Allenwood</span> Federal prison in Pennsylvania

The United States Penitentiary, Allenwood is a maximum security United States federal prison in Pennsylvania. It is part of the Allenwood 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">United States Penitentiary, Marion</span> Prison near Marion, Illinois, United States

The United States Penitentiary, Marion is a large medium-security United States federal prison for male and female inmates in Southern Precinct, unincorporated Williamson County, Illinois. 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 that houses minimum security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg</span> Medium-security US federal prison for male inmates

The United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg is a medium-security United States federal prison in Pennsylvania for male inmates. It is 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Florence High</span> United States federal prison in Colorado

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute</span> High-security federal prison in Indiana, US

The United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Terre Haute houses a Special Confinement Unit for male federal inmates who have been sentenced to death as well as the federal execution chamber. Most inmates sentenced to death by the U.S. federal government are housed in USP Terre Haute prior to execution, with few exceptions. FCC Terre Haute is located in the city of Terre Haute, 70 miles (110 km) west of Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Hazelton</span> American federal prison in West Virginia

The United States Penitentiary, Hazelton is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in West Virginia. The high-security facility has earned the nickname "Misery Mountain" by the inmates who are incarcerated there. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility has a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Lompoc</span> Medium security US federal prison in California

The United States Penitentiary, Lompoc is a medium-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. The facility also has a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates. It was formerly a military disciplinary barracks on Camp Cooke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Pollock</span>

The United States Penitentiary, Pollock is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Grant Parish, Louisiana. It is part of the Pollock Federal Correctional Complex and 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 male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Beaumont</span> High security prison in Texas, United States

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

The United States Penitentiary, Canaan is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Lee</span> US high-security federal prison in Virginia

The United States Penitentiary, Lee is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Virginia. 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 which houses minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Tucson</span> United States federal prison in Arizona

The United States Penitentiary, Tucson is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Arizona. It is part of the Tucson Federal Correctional Complex and 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 for minimum-security male offenders.

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, Victorville</span>

The Federal Correctional Institution, Victorville are two medium-security United States federal prisons for male inmates in Victorville, California. Part of the Victorville Federal Prison Complex, 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 Complex, Victorville</span>

The Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville is a United States federal prison complex located in the Victor Valley of the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, southern California. It is on part of the former George Air Force Base (1941−1992) near Victorville, approximately 85 miles (137 km) northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Abby Lee Miller served eight months of a 366-day sentence there.

References

  1. ↑ "USP Victorville". Federal Bureau of Prisons.
  2. 1 2 3 "FCC Victorville: Inmate Handbook" (PDF). Federal Bureau of Prisons.
  3. ↑ Prophet, Tatiana (August 15, 2006). "FBI Investigates death at Victorville". Victorville Daily Press. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Federal inmate dies following attack | attack, dies, federal - Local News - Victorville Daily Press". Vvdailypress.com. 2009-05-14. Archived from the original on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  5. ↑ "Hawaii inmate killed in California prison". Prisonofficer.org. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  6. ↑ Serna, Joseph (2013-11-19). "Ohio Aryan Brotherhood leader is killed in Victorville prison". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  7. ↑ "Victorville federal prisoner commits suicide". San Bernardino County Sun. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  8. ↑ "Two inmates apparently slain at federal prison in Victorville". San Bernardino County Sun. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  9. ↑ "Inmates killed at Victorville prison identified". San Bernardino County Sun. 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  10. ↑ Fogt, Anneli (August 7, 2014). "Oregon man is suspect in Victorville penitentiary deaths". Local Media Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "History of The Federal Parole System". US Department of Justice. Archived from the original on 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
  12. ↑ Rodriguez, Andrea (December 21, 2014). "'Cuban Five' member freed". Local Media Group, Inc.
  13. ↑ "CNN.com - Cuban spy ring leader sentenced to life - December 13, 2001". Articles.cnn.com. 2001-12-13. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  14. ↑ "Bodyguard Is Convicted in Case With Links to Drug Agent's Death - New York Times". The New York Times . 1990-08-07. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  15. ↑ "Twenty-Two Alleged Members of Violent "Dead Man Incorporated" Gang Indicted on Federal Racketeering, Murder, and Drug Charges That May Bring Life in Federal Prison" (Press release). United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. November 2, 2011. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2011– via the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  16. ↑ "Former Honduran Congressman Tony Hernández Sentenced To Life In Prison And Ordered To Forfeit $138.5 Million For Distributing 185 Tons Of Cocaine And Related Firearms And False Statements Offenses". justice.gov. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  17. ↑ Wren, Christopher S. (1996-09-06). "U.S. JURY CONVICTS 3 IN A CONSPIRACY TO BOMB AIRLINERS". The New York Times .
  18. ↑ Bonner, Raymond; Weiser, Benjamin (2006-08-11). "Echoes of Early Design to Use Chemicals to Blow Up Airliners". The New York Times .
  19. ↑ "Leaders of Aryan Nations Found Negligent in Attack - New York Times". The New York Times . 2000-09-08. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  20. ↑ "Edgar Steele Guilty In Murder-For-Hire Plot | News". KXLY.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  21. ↑ Geranios, Nicholas K. (2011-11-10). "Edgar J. Steele, Lawyer Who Represented Aryan Nation Sentenced To 50 Years For Plot To Murder Wife". Huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  22. ↑ "Lenny Dykstra faces auto-theft charge". ESPN.com.
  23. ↑ Risling, Greg (March 5, 2012). "Lenny Dykstra sentenced to three years in prison in grand theft auto case". Toronto: Associated Press. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  24. ↑ Sandomir, R (August 2, 2014). Lenny Dykstra: Out of Prison, and Still Headstrong. The New York Times archive. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  25. ↑ Joshua Rhett Miller (August 27, 2020). "Native American Lezmond Mitchell executed in Indiana". New York Post . Retrieved October 16, 2022.

34°34′10″N117°21′45″W / 34.5695°N 117.3625°W / 34.5695; -117.3625

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.