Federal Correctional Complex, Butner
The Federal Correctional Complex, Butner (FCC Butner) is a United States federal prison complex for men in 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.[1] Among its inmates is Bernie Madoff, who was convicted for perpetrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
Location | Mangum Township, Durham County / Dutchville Township, Granville County, North Carolina |
---|---|
Status | Operational |
Security class | Minimum, Low, Medium and administrative security (FMC Butner is a medical facility) |
Population | 5,000 (four facilities) |
Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
The complex consists of four facilities:
- Federal Correctional Institution, Butner Low (FCI Butner Low): a low-security facility.
- Federal Correctional Institution, Butner Medium (FCI Butner Medium): a medium-security facility.
- Federal Correctional Institution 2, Butner Medium (FCI 2 Butner Medium): a medium-security facility
- Federal Medical Center, Butner (FMC Butner): a facility which houses inmates of all security levels with health issues.
The complex lies on the county line between Durham County to the west and Granville County to the east.
Notable incidents
Madoff assault
On March 18, 2010, The Wall Street Journal reported that Bernard Madoff, the New York financier serving a 150-year sentence at FCI Butner for running a Ponzi scheme that cost investors billions of dollars, was assaulted by another inmate in December 2009. Citing three sources, a current inmate, a former inmate, and a prison employee, the Journal reported that the assailant was an inmate serving time for a drug conviction who believed that Madoff owed him money. The inmate reported that Madoff suffered a broken nose, fractured ribs, and cuts to his head and face. In response to the report, Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Denise Simmons said, "We have no knowledge or information to confirm he was assaulted."[2]
Murder plot
On November 16, 2011, James Lukinoff, an inmate at FCI Butner, was indicted for planning to assault and kill an FBI agent involved in investigating the crime for which he was sent to prison. The indictment alleged that from February 2009 to April 2011, Lukinoff developed and pursued a plan to purchase a silencer and have a friend or family member store it until his release from prison. Once released, Lukinoff planned to retrieve the silencer and his firearm and kill the agent. Lukinoff pleaded guilty to retaliating against a federal official by threat on June 20, 2012. He is currently being held at the Federal Medical Center, Butner and is scheduled for release in 2024.
Notable inmates
High-profile crimes
Inmate Name | Register Number | Photo | Status | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mel Reynolds | 07476-424 | Sentence commuted by President Bill Clinton in 2001; served his sentence at the minimum-security prison camp.[3] | Illinois Congressman from 1993 to 1995; convicted in 1995 of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography in connection with his relationship with a 16-year-old campaign worker; convicted in 1997 of bank fraud.[4][5] | |
Bernard Madoff | 61727-054 | Serving a 150-year sentence.[6] | 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.[7][8] | |
Jon Burge | 50504-018 | Released from custody in 2015; served 4 years.[9] | Former Chicago Police Department commander; convicted in 2010 of obstruction of justice and perjury for torturing more than 200 criminal suspects between 1972 and 1991, eliciting dozens of false confessions.[10][11] | |
Jesse Jackson Jr. | 32451-016 | Served 30 months. Released on the morning of June 22, 2015, after spending three months serving his remaining sentence in a halfway house.[12] | Illinois Congressman from 1995 to 2012, and son of Jesse Jackson. In early February 2013, Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy, making false statements, mail fraud, wire fraud, and criminal forfeiture—having used about $750,000 in campaign money for over 3000 personal purchases that included a Michael Jackson fedora and cashmere capes.[13] | |
Roman Seleznev | 04385-093 | Serving a 27-year sentence.[14] | Russian hacker; convicted in 2017 on 38 counts of hacking, wire fraud, and racketeering for stealing and selling millions of credit card numbers, causing more than $169 million in damages to businesses and banks.[14] | |
Scott Tyree | not listed | Released in February 2019; served 17 years. | Kidnapper of Alicia Kozakiewicz.[15][16][17][18] | |
John Russell Whitt | 19945-057 | Transferred from FCI Ashland [19] | Sentenced to two consecutive 26 to 32 year sentences for the murders of his wife and son.[20] |
Organized crime
Inmate Name | Register Number | Photo | Status | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela | 14023-059 | Serving a 30-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2030. | Co-founder of the now-defunct Cali Cartel, which was responsible for as much as 80% of the cocaine brought into the US in the 1970s and 1980s; co-founder Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela is also serving a 30-year sentence.[21] | |
Carmine Persico | 74666-158 | Died at Duke University Medical Center[22] while serving a combined sentence of 139 years; was eligible for release in 2050.[23] | Mafia figure; former Colombo crime family Boss; convicted in 1986 of murder, loansharking, bribery and extortion, all in aid of racketeering, in order to control and profit from the concrete industry in New York City.[24][25] | |
John Connolly | 22928-038 | Transferred to state prison in 2011; served 10 years.[26] | Former FBI Agent; convicted in 2002 of racketeering conspiracy for aiding Irish Mob figure Whitey Bulger; currently serving a 40-year sentence in a Florida state prison for the murder of a witness.[27] | |
Gerard Ouimette | 02519- 070 | Served 21 years until his death in 2015 | Mafia figure; former Patriarca crime family associate; convicted of extortion | |
Graeme Phillip Harris | 16662-042 | Served a 6-month sentence released in 2016 | Made a threatening message against African Americans at the University of Mississippi[28] |
Financial crimes
Inmate Name | Register Number | Photo | Status | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Troy Titus | 58299-083 | Serving a 30-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2035. | Former real estate investor; convicted in 2009 of fraud, money laundering and other charges for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme in which 30 victims lost over $5 million; Titus's story was featured on the CNBC television program American Greed.[29][30] | |
Lee Farkas | 43560-018 | Serving a 30-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2037.[31] | Former Chairman of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corporation; convicted in 2011 of fraud for masterminding a $2.9 billion scheme that led to the 2009 collapse of Colonial Bank; the story was featured on the CNBC program American Greed.[32][33] | |
Samuel Israel | 84430-054 | Serving a 22-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2027.[34] | Founder of the now defunct Bayou Hedge Fund Group; pleaded guilty in 2008 to defrauding investors of $400 million; attempted to fake his own suicide to avoid prison; the story was featured on the CNBC television program American Greed.[35][36] | |
Al Parish | 12031-171 | Serving a 24-year sentence, scheduled for release in 2029. | Former Charleston Southern University economist, who was sentenced to federal prison in 2008 after pleading guilty to financial fraud.[37][38] Nearly 300 people lost up to $66 million invested in Parish Economic's private investment funds. Before being charged with fraud, Parish was known as a flamboyant local financial expert dubbed 'Economan',[39] and was known for his $1.2 million pen collection, including a $170,000 diamond-encrusted pen.[40] Included in the fraud was over $4 Million set aside for Athletic Facilities improvements at Charleston Southern University. |
Espionage
Inmate Name | Register Number | Photo | Status | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
John Walker | 22449-037 | Died in custody in 2014 while serving a 30-year sentence.[41] | Former Chief Warrant Officer for the US Navy; pleaded guilty to espionage in 1986 for selling classified documents to the Soviet Union. Co-conspirator Jerry Whitworth is also serving a life sentence.[42] | |
Jonathan Pollard | 09185-016 | Granted parole and released in 2015 after serving 30 years of a life sentence[43] | Former intelligence analyst for the United States government. In 1987, as part of a plea agreement, Pollard pleaded guilty to spying for and providing top-secret classified information to Israel. He was sentenced to life in prison for violations of the Espionage Act.[44] |
See also
- List of U.S. federal prisons
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Incarceration in the United States
References
- Archived version of "FCC Butner" from BOP website. Archived at the Internet Archive.
- Searcey, Dionne; Efrati, Amir (March 18, 2010). "Madoff Beaten in Prison". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- Reynolds, Mel (January 29, 2001). "Why so little work in prisons' work camp?". USA Today. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- "Ex-Congressman Reynolds & wife indicted for fraud". CNN. November 7, 1996. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- Dorning, Mike (January 21, 2001). "Clinton Grants Clemency, Frees Reynolds". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- Lee, MJ (March 20, 2014). "Madoff: Politics, remorse, Wall Street". Politico. POLITICO LLC.
- Henriques, Diana B. (March 12, 2009). "Madoff Goes to Jail After Guilty Pleas". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- Kouwe, Zachery (July 14, 2009). "Madoff Arrives at Federal Prison in North Carolina". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- "Former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge Reports To Prison". CBS Chicago. CBS Local Media. March 16, 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- Walberg, Matthew; Lee, William (June 28, 2010). "Burge found guilty - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- Haggerty, Ryan (January 22, 2011). "Burge sentence leaves torn emotions - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- "Jesse Jackson Jr. leaves halfway house for D.C. home". chicagobusiness.com.
- Skiba, Katherine; Coen, Jeff; Venteicher, Wes (2013-02-20). "Jacksons' guilt a tale of excess". Chicago Tribune.
- "Russian Cyber-Criminal Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Hacking and Credit Card Fraud Scheme". www.justice.gov. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
- https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/scott-tyree-kidnapping-rape-victim-asks-to-testify-in-relocation-hearing-for-attacker/941433011/
- https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/congress-questions-transfer-of-child-sex-criminal-to-victims-community/3877/
- "Man convicted in kidnapping of Pittsburgh-area teen released from jail". WPXI-TV. 1 February 2019.
- https://casetext.com/case/tyree-v-united-states-5
- https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/investigations/two-decades-ago-a-10-year-old-was-killed-now-his-fathers-been-charged-with-murder/275-b4a44661-02a5-4269-a8ee-fad621c769ee
- https://www.wral.com/man-to-spend-rest-of-life-behind-bars-for-killing-wife-boy-whose-remains-were-found-under-mebane-billboard/18888831/
- "Cali Cartel Leaders Plead Guilty to Drug and Money Laundering Conspiracy Charges". US Department of Justice. September 26, 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- "Legendary New York Mob Boss Carmine Persico, Head of Colombo Family, Dead at Age 85". nbcnewyork.com. 7 March 2019.
- Capeci, Jerry (May 25, 2011). "Turncoat Capo Fingers Persico Family Crony In Mob War Rubout". TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- Arnold H. Lubasch (June 14, 1986). "Persico Convicted In Colombo Trial". New York City: The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- Lubasch, Arnold H. (November 20, 1986). "U.S. Jury Convicts Eight As Members Of Mob Commission". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- Serrano, Richard A. (May 8, 2011). "100 FBI retirees defend disgraced Boston agent". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- Phillips, Rich. Rogue FBI agent sentenced to 40 years in mob hit. CNN, 2009-01-15.
- Schnugg, Alyssa (September 18, 2015). "Federal prison for Harris".
- McGlone, Tim (2010-04-16). "Disbarred attorney sentenced to 30 years for fraud | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com". HamptonRoads.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- "FBI — Real Estate Investor, Disbarred Lawyer Sentenced 30 Years for Massive Fraud Schemes". Fbi.gov. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- Ginsberg, Esq., Nina; Fahringer, Esq., Herald Price; Dubno, Esq., Erica T. (October 8, 2013). "LEE BENTLEY FARKAS, Movant against UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent: Memorandum of Law in Support of Amended Motion Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255" (PDF). leefarkas.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- Schoenberg, Tom. "Ex-Taylor Bean Chairman Farkas Found Guilty on All 14 Counts in Fraud Case". Bloomberg. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- Protess, Ben (June 30, 2011). "Mortgage Executive Receives 30-Year Sentence - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- Sorkin, Andrew Ross (June 25, 2012). "A Con Man Who Lives Between Truth and Fiction". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "Authorities: Samuel Israel definitely faked death | 7online.com". Abclocal.go.com. June 12, 2008. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- Bhattarai, Abha (July 4, 2008). "Fund Manager Turned Fugitive Is Sent to Prison". The New York Times.
- Smith, Bruce (5 October 2007). "S.C. economist pleads guilty in fraud". USA Today. The Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- Stock, Kyle; Schuyler Kropf (26 June 2008). "Al Parish discusses the collapse of his investment empire". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- "Economan: Superthief". American Greed. CNBC. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- Associated Press (9 November 2006). "College Professor Displays $170,000 Pen". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- Mitchell, Becca; Ciara, Barbara (August 29, 2014). "Notorious Navy spy John Walker dies in NC federal prison". WKTR News VA, NC. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- Morain, Dan (1988-12-10). "Whitworth Given 365-Year Sentence : Castigated by Judge, Spy Also Is Fined $410,000; Penalty Harshest Since '53 - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
- "After 30 Years, Jonathan Pollard Released From American Prison." Haaretz. November 20, 2015.http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.687303
- "Top US Officials: Free Jonathan Pollard Now". Retrieved November 7, 2013.
External links
- Official profile from the Federal Bureau of Prisons
- "FCI Butner Medium II (design)." John J. Kirlin, LLC.
- "Butner Federal Correctional Institution." Moseley Architects.