 | |
 Interactive map of Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook | |
| Location | North Elba,Essex County, nearSaranac Lake, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°17′25″N74°05′34″W / 44.29028°N 74.09278°W /44.29028; -74.09278 |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Medium security |
| Population | Approx. 800 |
| Opened | 1980 |
| Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
| Warden | David Christensen |
TheFederal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook (FCI Ray Brook), unofficially called theOlympic Prison,[1] is a medium-security United Statesfederal prison for male inmates that is operated by theFederal Bureau of Prisons, a division of theUnited States Department of Justice.
FCI Ray Brook is located inEssex County,New York, midway between the villages ofLake Placid andSaranac Lake.[2] Although constructed as a prison, it initially served as theOlympic Village for the1980 Winter Olympics, which were held in Lake Placid.[3]
TheUnited States Olympic & Paralympic Committee needed congressional approval for funding to build anOlympic Village for the1980 Winter Olympics. Congress required an after-use contract for facilities, and it was agreed that the Olympic Village would be built in accordance withFederal Bureau of Prisons needs. Following the Olympic Games, it was repurposed for Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook.[4][5]
The prison became operational following the conclusion of the Olympics and accepted its first inmates that same year. Local activists and international participants had protested the dual-purpose building, and some athletes refused to be housed in the facility due to the cramped cells, barred windows, and barbed wire perimeter. A coalition of religious and civil rights activists formed the group Stop the Olympic Prison (STOP) to protest the prison.[1]
The Bureau of Prisons has received numerous complaints regarding conditions at FCI Ray Brook. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstated a previously dismissed lawsuit filed against the Bureau of Prisons on behalf of six inmates who were allegedly housed in an extremely hot and cramped single room without adequate ventilation and cleaning supplies. The Court found that the evidence justified a claim ofcruel and unusual punishment.[6]
| Inmate Name | Register Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eduardo Arellano-Felix | 04117-748 | Released on August 18, 2021 after serving a 15-year sentence and deported back to Mexico.[7] | Key member of theTijuana Cartel, a multi-nationaldrug trafficking organization, extradited from Mexico in 2012; pleaded guilty in 2013 to directing the shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds from the US to Mexico.[8] |
| Rezwan Ferdaus | 94133-038 | Serving a 17-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2026. | Convicted for planning a terrorist attack onThe Pentagon.[9][10][11] |
| David Radler | 18189-424 | Sentenced to 29 months; transferred from Moshannon Valley Correctional Center; transferred to Canada in September 2008; paroled fromFerndale Institution December 2008.[12] | Pleaded guilty tomail fraud. Former associate ofConrad Black and CEO ofRavelston Corporation. |
| Sathajhan Sarachandran | 64076-053[permanent dead link] | Sentenced to 25 years in 2011. Sentence reduced to 15 years in 2016. Released from custody in 2019 and deported to Canada.[13] | Pleaded guilty in 2009 toproviding material support for terrorism for attempting to purchase military weapons for theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant group on theU.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.[14][15][16] |
