United States Penitentiary, Beaumont

United States Penitentiary, Beaumont
Location Jefferson County, near Beaumont, Texas
Status Operational
Security class high-security
Population 1,460
Opened 1998
Managed by Federal Bureau of Prisons

The United States Penitentiary, Beaumont (USP Beaumont) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Texas. It is part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Beaumont (FCC Beaumont) and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

FCC Beaumont is located approximately 100 miles (160 km) east of Houston.[1]

Notable incidents

2007 inmate murder

On November 28, 2007, correction officers were escorting inmates Mark Snarr and Edgar Garcia to their cells at the USP Beaumont. When they arrived, Snarr and Garcia slipped from their restraints, repeatedly stabbed both correction officers with homemade prison knives known as shanks, and took the officers' cell keys.

Snarr and Garcia then unlocked the cell of inmate Gabriel Rhone and stabbed Rhone over 50 times. Additional officers arrived and used chemical agents to stop the attack, which lasted several minutes and was captured on surveillance camera. The wounded corrections officers and Rhone were transported to a local hospital, where Rhone was pronounced dead. The officers were treated and survived.

Attorneys for Snarr and Garcia claimed that Rhone had repeatedly threatened to kill their clients and that prison officials had failed to respond to those threats. However, Snarr and Garcia were subsequently convicted of murder and both were sentenced to death on May 24, 2010.[2][3] They are currently being held at the United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, a high-security facility in Indiana which houses federal death row.[4][5]

2008 inmate murder

On February 12, 2008, USP Beaumont staff discovered the body of a 29-year-old inmate, Ronald Joseph, in his cell. An autopsy showed that Joseph died from asphyxia due to ligature strangulation or compression of the neck. Further investigation identified James Sweeney and Harry Lee Napper, both inmates at USP Beaumont, as suspects in the murder. Sweeney and Napper were indicted and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and second-degree murder on May 4, 2011.[6] In 2012, Sweeney pleaded guilty to racketeering and murder charges for leading the prison gang Dead Man Incorporated in exchange for the murder charge being dismissed and was sentenced to life in prison.[7][8] Napper received a decades-long sentence.[9]

Notable inmates

Inmate Name Register Number Status Details
Tewhan Butler 26852-050 Serving a 30-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2029. Leader of the Bloods street gang in Newark, NJ; pleaded guilty in 2006 to racketeering and conspiracy for directing gang crimes including murder and drug trafficking; case was supervised by then-US Attorney Chris Christie, current Governor of New Jersey.[10][11]
Mohamud Hirs Issa Ali 77998-083 Serving a life sentence. Somali pirate; pleaded guilty in 2011 to piracy for hijacking the SY Quest and taking hostages for ransom in 2010. Four hostages were killed during the incident. Nine other pirates are serving life sentences at other federal facilities.[12][13]
Michael O'Keefe, Sr. 17048-034 Serving a 19-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2016. President of the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 1983; convicted in 1999 of money laundering, mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy for stealing from a malpractice insurance company, leaving hundreds of physicians without coverage.[14]
Adley Abdulwahab 77373-279 Serving a 60-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2071. Hedge fund manager and part owner of A&O Resources Management; convicted in 2011 of stealing $100 million from 800 victims by misrepresenting details about the company and concealing his prior criminal history; several co-conspirators were also sentenced to prison; the story was featured on the CNBC television program American Greed.[15][16][17]
Oscar Wyatt 39314-179 Released from custody in 2008 after serving 1 year at the minimum-security prison camp. Founder of the now-defunct Coastal Corporation in Texas; pleaded guilty in 2007 to wire fraud for paying kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime in order to win lucrative oil contracts from Iraq; part of the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program debacle.[18][19]

See also


References

  1. ↑ BOP: USP Beaumont
  2. ↑ 2 denied self-defense in inmate killing - Beaumont Enterprise
  3. ↑ EDTX_MURDER_SNARR_GARCIA052410
  4. ↑ Federal Bureau of Prisons
  5. ↑ Federal Bureau of Prisons
  6. ↑ http://www.fbi.gov/houston/press-releases/2011/federal-inmates-charged-with-murdering-beaumont-prisoner
  7. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-09-26/news/bs-md-ci-sweeney-dmi-letter-20120926_1_plea-agreement-prison-gang-maryland-prisons
  8. ↑ http://www.justice.gov/usao/txe/News/2012/EDTX_Sweeny_Totorice_Batte(Corrected)_%20092612.html
  9. ↑ http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=harry&Middle=&LastName=napper&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0
  10. ↑ Martin, John P. (December 3, 2006). "How the FBI took down a deadly Jersey gang". The New Jersey Star-Ledger. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  11. ↑ "Third Member of Once Notorious Essex County Street Gang Sentenced to Decades in Prison". US Department of Justice. April 18, 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  12. ↑ BBC News - Somali pirates face hard time in US prison
  13. ↑ USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - Eastern District of Virginia
  14. ↑ "Janet McConnaughey , "Former La. Lawmaker: Restitution Cash from Insurance Co. Liquidation", March 20, 2008". insurancejournal.com. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Hedge Fund Manager of A&O Entities Convicted in $100 Million Fraud Scheme". US Department of Justice. June 10, 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  16. ↑ Associated Press (October 23, 2012). "Former Costa Rican businessman convicted in $485M fraud scheme sentenced in Va. to 60 years". Fox News. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  17. ↑ O'Dell, Larry (September 30, 2011). "Texas Man Sentenced to 60 Years for $100M Insurance Fraud". Insurance Journal.
  18. ↑ Texas oilman Wyatt sentenced to year in prison | Reuters
  19. ↑ Fowler, Tom (January 2, 2008). "Oscar Wyatt reports to prison in Beaumont". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 3 May 2013.

External links

Coordinates: 29°57′52″N 94°04′46″W / 29.96444°N 94.07944°W