Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook

Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook
Location North Elba, Essex County,
near Saranac Lake, New York
Status Operational
Security class Medium-security
Population 1,190
Opened 1980
Managed by Federal Bureau of Prisons
Warden Donald Hudson, Jr.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook (FCI Ray Brook) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates that is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

FCI Ray Brook is located in Essex County, New York, midway between the villages of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake.[1] Although constructed as a prison, it initially served as the Olympic Village for the 1980 Winter Olympics, which were held in Lake Placid.

History

The prison became operational following the conclusion of the Olympics and accepted its first inmates that same year. In 2010, FCI Ray Brook commemorated its thirtieth anniversary. On February 13, 2011, Russell Perdue was appointed as warden, the tenth in the facility's history. He replaced Deborah Schult, who was appointed warden of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' newest facility, the Federal Correction Institution, Berlin in Berlin, New Hampshire. On July 29, 2012, Donald Hudson Jr. became FCI Ray Brook's eleventh warden.

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 of cruel and unusual punishment. The lawsuit is currently pending.[2]

Notable Inmates (current and former)

Inmate Name Register Number Status Details
Eduardo Arellano-Felix 04117-748 Serving a 15-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2021. Key member of the Tijuana Cartel, a multi-national drug 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.[3]
James Cromitie 70658-054 Serving a 25-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2031. Convicted in 2010 of attempted use of weapons of mass destruction and attempted murder for plotting to bomb synagogues and shoot down planes at Stewart International Airport in New York; three co-conspirators are also in prison.[4][5][6]
Sathajhan Sarachandran 64076-053 Serving a 26-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2029. Pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support for terrorism for attempting to purchase military weapons for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant group on the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.[7][8][9]

See also


References

  1. ↑ "FCI Ray Brook". Federal Bureau of Prisons.
  2. ↑ http://usdoj.com/7660/40001/a/second-circuit-federal-court-of-appeals-finds-federal-prison-conditions-may-cons
  3. ↑ Henry, Erica (August 20, 2013). "Eduardo Arellano-Felix, last of 4 brothers in Mexican cartel, gets 15 years in prison". CNN. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "FOUR MEN FOUND GUILTY IN MANHATTAN FEDERAL COURT OF PLOTTING TO BOMB SYNAGOGUE AND JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER AND TO SHOOT MILITARY PLANES WITH STINGER MISSILES". US Department of Justice. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  5. ↑ Fahim, Kareem (October 18, 2010). "4 Convicted of Attempting to Blow Up 2 Synagogues". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin (June 29, 2011). "Men Draw 25-Year Terms In Synagogue Bomb Plot". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "CNN.com - U.S. charges 8 over 'Tiger plot' - Aug 21, 2006". CNN.
  8. ↑ "Two plead guilty in US to supporting Tamil Tigers". Reuters. 26 January 2009.
  9. ↑ http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2010/nyfo012210.htm

Coordinates: 44°17′25″N 74°05′34″W / 44.29028°N 74.09278°W