Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York
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| Location | Manhattan, New York City |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°42′47″N 74°00′07″W / 40.71306°N 74.00194°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Administrative facility |
| Population | 774[1] |
| Opened | 1975 |
| Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
| Warden | Shirley Skipper-Scott[2] |
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York (MCC New York) is a United States federal administrative detention facility in Manhattan, New York which 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.
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]
History
Opened in 1975 in the Civic Center neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, MCC New York was the first high-rise facility to be used by the Bureau of Prisons. Prisoners are assigned to ten 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.[5]
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 kingpin Frank Lucas, Ponzi scheme frauster Bernard Madoff, terrorists Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, and weapons trafficker Viktor Bout.[6] Since January 2017, after being extradited to the United States, Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was housed in the facility.
Facility
The correctional center is housed in a 12-story high-rise building located at 150 Park Row in the Civic Center neighborhood. As of Feb. 1 2017, it had 796 inmates, both male and female.[7] 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 "supermax" 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 (1 in the gym and 4 on the floor). Offices, classes, and computers are located on the unit's second floor.
Inmates in the 10-South wing are locked inside single-man cells 23 hours a day with lights and CCTVs on at all times. The cells are equipped with a shower. In 10-South the food is served only by a "white shirt" (Sergeant or Lieutenant), never by a "blue shirt" (Correctional Officer).[citation needed]
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). Both inmates in a cell are cuffed in the back through a food slot every time the cell door needs to be opened. Inmates are escorted to the shower three times a week, always cuffed.[citation needed]
Notable inmates (current and former)
| Inmate Name | Register Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Anas al-Libi Khalid al-Fawwaz |
Unknown 67497-054 |
Al-Libi died on January 2, 2015 while awaiting trial; al-Fawwaz is serving life in prison at ADX Florence.[8] | 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.[9] |
| Joaquín Guzmán | 89914-053 | Sentenced to life plus 30 years. Now at ADX Florence.[10] | 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. |
| Sayfullo Habibullaevich Saipov | 79715-054 | Pending trial | Sayfullo is being held in MCC, New York on suspicion of perpetrating a terrorist attack in New York City. He is charged with Providing material support for a terrorist organization and Destruction of a motor vehicle. |
| Patrick Ho | 76101-054 | Convicted, Sentenced[11] | Charged with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering.[12] Three years' imprisonment and fined $400,000 in March 2019. |
| Daryl Campbell | 75951-054 | Now at Brooklyn MDC. | Plead guilty to federal gun charges |
| John Zancocchio | 48744-080 | Released at July 31, 2018. | Racketeering charges[13] |
| Jeffrey Epstein | 76318-054 | Found dead in prison of apparent suicide on August 10, 2019.[14] | Sex trafficking charges |
| Akayed Ullah | 79827-054 | convicted awaiting sentencing | Convicted in 2018 for terrorism in a plot to destroy a NYC Subway with explosives |
See also
References
- ^ a b "MCC New York". Federal Bureau of Prisons.
- ^ https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/nym/NYM_prea.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Demick, Barbara; Patrick J. McDonnell (20 January 2017). "Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman has a new home: The Guantanamo of New York". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ Goldstein, Joseph (23 January 2017). "Manhattan Jail That Holds El Chapo Is Called Tougher Than Guantánamo Bay". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ Bosworth, Mary (2002). The US Federal Prison System. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. p. 272. ISBN 9780761923046.
- ^ McShane, Larry (13 March 2009). "Inside Bernard Madoff's new home: the Metropolitan Correctional Center prison in Manhattan". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ "Metropolitan Correctional Center New York". Zoukis Prisoner Resources. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Jomana, Karadsheh (3 January 2015). "Alleged al Qaeda operative Abu Anas al Libi dies in U.S. hospital, family says". CNN. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Weiser, Benjamin (15 October 2013). "Terror Suspect Caught in Libya Appears in Manhattan Court". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ "El Chapo trial: Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán found guilty". BBC. 12 February 2019.
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.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Lum, Alvin; Emma Kazryan (6 December 2018). "Former Hong Kong minister Patrick Ho Chi-ping convicted in US court on 7 of 8 counts in bribery and money-laundering case". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ Cheng, Kris (23 November 2017). "All parties deny involvement after US arrests ex-Hong Kong top official Patrick Ho on multi-million dollar bribery charges". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ DeGregory, Priscilla; Italiano, Laura (12 January 2018). "'Boobsie,' 'Porky' among names in Bonanno mob bust". New York Post. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Jeffrey Epstein dies by suicide in Manhattan jail; Death raises 'serious questions,' AG Barr says". ABC7 New York. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
External links
