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 Interactive map of United States Penitentiary, Lee | |
| Location | Lee County, nearPennington Gap, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°42′10.7″N83°0′5.8″W / 36.702972°N 83.001611°W /36.702972; -83.001611 |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | High security (with satellite minimum-security prison camp) |
| Population | 1,528 [1,482 at the USP, 46 in prison camp] (September 2023) |
| Opened | 2002 |
| Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
TheUnited States Penitentiary, Lee (USP Lee) is a high-security United Statesfederal prison for male inmates in Virginia. It is operated by theFederal Bureau of Prisons, a division of theUnited States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp which houses minimum-security male offenders.
USP Lee is located in the Lee County Industrial Park,[1][2] anunincorporated area inLee County, Virginia, in the southwestern part of the state. The prison is located off ofU.S. Route 58 at the intersection of Route 638, nearPennington Gap and 8 miles (13 km) east ofJonesville.[3]
The annualper capita income of Lee County was $12,917 in the early 1990s, making the Virginia area a prime candidate to host afederal prison and bring money into the community.[4]
Architectural and construction work of the 635,097-square-foot (59,000 m2) facility was administered by Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, now known asAECOM.[5]Computer modeling was utilized to identify and minimize blindspots of prisonwatchtowers. Construction began in the summer of 1998 on a budget of $102 million. The penitentiary was completed in August 2001 and began receiving inmates in 2002. According to project manager Gary Carsten of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the main recurring problem of the facility is the excessive strain on Lee County'ssewage system.[4]
Archaeological discoveries on the prison property include arrowheads and pottery from aNative American gravesite believed to be associated with an ancient hospital dating as far back as 10,000 years.[4]
On February 25, 2008, inmateEdward Porta was noted to be missing during a 4 p.m. count after apparently walking away from the minimum security camp.[6] Porta defrauded theU.S. Department of Agriculture of more than $400,000. He remained a fugitive for over eight years until he was recaptured in May 2016, and was profiled on the television programAmerica's Most Wanted.[7]
There have been incidents of violence at USP Lee and several homicides. Inmate Quinten Corniel was killed on September 30, 2008, and inmate Ernest Bennett died on January 22, 2010, both during altercations with other inmates.[8][9] On April 29, 2010, Filikisi Hafoka, a member of the Tongan Crip Gang, was taken offlife support after being stabbed on the previous weekend.[10] As is procedure, USP Lee went intolockdown after these incidents and investigations were conducted. The killers of Corniel and Bennett were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.[11][12]
| Inmate Name | Register Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genaro García Luna | 59745-177 | Now atADX Florence serving a 38-year sentence. Scheduled for release in 2052. | FormerMexicanSecretary of Public Security under the presidency ofFelipe Calderon; arrested in 2019 and convicted in 2023 for accepting millions of dollars' worth of bribes from theSinaloa Cartel in exchange for protecting drug shipments coming into the United States. He is the highest-ranking official Mexican official ever to be convicted in the United States.[13][14] |
| Dandeny Muñoz Mosquera | 37459-053 | Serving a life sentence and is now atUSP Atwater. | Assassin for the now-defunctMedellin Drug Cartel in Colombia; convicted in 1994 ofblowing up an Avianca jetliner over Bogota in 1989, killing all 107 people aboard, including two US citizens, in one of the deadliest acts of drug-trade terrorism in history.[15] |
| Wilson Pagan | 88356-054 | Serving a life sentence atUSP Hazelton. | Former leader of theLatin Kings. |
| Anthony “Harv” Ellison | 86282-054 | Serving a 24-year sentence, scheduled for release in 2042. Now atUSP Canaan. | Member of theNine Trey Gangsters, orchestrated the kidnapping and robbery of rapper6ix9ine in 2018. |
| Gerardo Castillo-Chavez | 65736-279 | Now atUSP Atwater serving a life sentence. | Hitman forLos Zetas, the armed wing of theGulf Cartel in Mexico; convicted in 2012 ofracketeering, drug traffickingconspiracy and weapons charges for committing crimes on the cartel's behalf including kidnapping, assault and murder.[16] |
| Benjamin Arellano Felix | 00678-748 | Transferred toFCI Atlanta Serving a 25-year sentence; scheduled for release 28 April 2032. | Former leader of theTijuana Cartel in Mexico, pleaded guilty in 2013 toconspiracy andmoney laundering for directing the importation of thousands of tons ofcocaine into the US; the cartel killed over 1,000 civilians and police officers over a 16-year period. |
| Inmate Name | Register Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Patrick Regan | 41051-083 | Now atFCI Terre Haute serving a life sentence. | Former intelligence analyst for theUS Air Force charged with attemptedespionage and gatheringsecret information for attempting to sellsatellite technology and other classified material to Iraq and China for $13 million.[17] |
| Jose Ramirez-Dorantes | 23196-298 | Serving a 55-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2057. | Pleaded guilty in 2013 to murdering a federal official in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting ofU.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas, Jr. on July 23, 2009; his accomplices are also serving long sentences.[18] |
| Mohammed Modin Hasan | 75673-083 | Serving a life sentence. Currently atUSP Yazoo City. | Somali pirate leader; convicted in November 2010 connection with an April 2010 attack on the American warshipNicholas, during which Hasan fired arocket propelled grenade at what he believed was a merchant ship he and his co-defendants aimed to commandeer.[19] |
| Charles McArther Emmanuel | 76556-004 | Serving a 97 year sentence, scheduled for release on June 18, 2090 | Son of former president ofLiberiaCharles Taylor who was convicted on torture charges. |
| Ken Jenne | 77434-004 | Released from custody in 2008; served 1 year. | FormerBroward County Sheriff; pleaded guilty in 2007 tomail fraud andtax evasion for illegally accepting over $150,000 in improper payments, income and other benefits from Sheriff's Office contractors.[20][21] |
| Francisco Martin Duran | 19588-016 | Scheduled for release in 2029. | Attempted toassassinate PresidentBill Clinton on October 29, 1994, when he fired 29 rounds from anSKS rifle at theWhite House.[22] |
| Eyad Ismoil | 37802-054 | Serving a 210-year prison sentence; scheduled for release in 2174. Moved toUSP Victorville. | One of the men who planned and carried out the1993 World Trade Center bombing. |
| Neftaly Platero | 17666-035 | Serving a life sentence without parole. | Murdered two of his fellow soldiers in 2010 inFallujah, Iraq.[23][24][25] |
United States Penitentiary Lee
