Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth
Map
LocationFort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
StatusOperational
Security classAdministrative Security
Population1,500
Opened1971
Managed byFederal Bureau of Prisons
WardenRodney Chandler

The Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth is an administrative-security United States federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, for male inmates of all security levels with special medical and mental health needs. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

Originally opening as a Federal Correctional Institution in 1971, the institution was converted to a Federal Medical Center in 1994. At the end of 2006, FMC Fort Worth was returned to FCI status. As of 2017, FMC Fort Worth was again converted back to a Federal Medical Center.

Notable incidents

In February 2012, Michele O'Neal, a correctional officer at the facility, resigned after being charged with sexual abuse of a ward for engaging in a consensual sexual relationship with an inmate at the facility, whom the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not identify. O'Neal pleaded guilty in July, was assigned inmate number 44097-177, and was released in April 2013.[1]

In October 2012, inmate Phillip Monroe Ballard, 71, was charged with soliciting the murder-for-hire of U.S. District Judge John McBryde from FCI Fort Worth. The indictment alleges that Ballard, who was scheduled to go on trial for tax charges before Judge McBryde, approached another inmate about killing Judge McBryde because Ballard believed that McBryde would sentence him to 20 years in prison. The inmate reported Ballard's statement to prison officials and began working as a confidential source for the FBI. The inmate told Ballard that he knew a man on the outside who would do it, upon which Ballard offered to pay the inmate $100,000 in cash and provided him with detailed instructions, such as how it could be done with a high-powered rifle and scope, and even provided a contingency plan of planting a bomb in the judge's vehicle to the inmate. The inmate gave Ballard a handwritten letter from an undercover agent posing as the "killer", which included contact information and notice that the "work" would be completed upon receipt of $5,000. Ballard called the undercover agent four times on September 26, 2012, and the following day, Ballard directed that the $5,000 payment be sent to the address provided by the undercover agent.[2][3][4] On March 17, 2014, Ballard was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.[5]

Notable inmates (current and former)

Terrorists

Inmate name Register number Status Details
Michael Fortier Unlisted† Released into the Federal Witness Protection Program in 2006. Accomplice in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing; testified against co-conspirators Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols; held at FCI Fort Worth during court proceedings.[6]
Stanley Phanor 64959-004 Released from custody in 2016; served 7 years. Member of the Universal Divine Saviors religious cult; convicted of providing material support for terrorism in 2009 for his role in a foiled plot to bomb the Sears Tower in Chicago. Four co-conspirators were also convicted.[7][8]

Organized crime figures

Inmate name Register number Status Details
Paul Vario 16522-053 Deceased; died in 1988 while serving a 10-year sentence. Capo in the Lucchese crime family in New York City; convicted of extortion in 1984. Vario was portrayed by actor Paul Sorvino in the 1990 movie Goodfellas.[9]
Vincent Gigante 26071-037 Deceased; died in 2005 while serving a 12-year sentence. Boss of the Genovese crime family from 1981 to 2005; feigned mental illness for decades to camouflage his position; convicted in 1997 of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering.[10][11]
Salvatore Merlino 04172-016 Deceased; died in 2012 while serving a 45-year sentence. Underboss for Philadelphia crime family leader Nicodemo Scarfo during the 1980s; convicted of racketeering in 1988.[12][13]

Corrupt public officials

Inmate name Register number Status Details
Gil Dozier 01326-095 Released from custody in 1986 after his sentence was commuted by President Ronald Reagan; served 4 years. Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture from 1976 to 1980; convicted of extortion and racketeering for demanding $90,000 from Louisiana businesses in exchange for receiving favorable treatment from the state.[14][15][16]
Gaston Gerald 01446-095 Released from custody in 1982; served 30 months. Former Louisiana State Senator; convicted of attempted extortion for demanding $25,000 from a construction contractor in exchange for helping the contractor avoid financial penalties; expelled from the State Senate in 1981.[17]
James McDougal 18525-009 Deceased; died in 1998 while serving a 3-year sentence. Financial partner with Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in land dealings which were the subject of the Whitewater political scandal; convicted in 1997 of fraud and conspiracy.[18]
Peter MacDonald 08986-055 Released from custody in 1997 after serving 5 years. Chairman of the Navajo Nation from 1970 to 1989; convicted in 1992 of conspiracy and burglary for inciting his supporters to riot after he was suspended for corruption, leading to the deaths of two protesters.[19]
Jason R. Smith 59089-019 Served a 10-year sentence and was released on August 17, 2016. Former Atlanta Police officer; pleaded guilty in 2007 to civil rights violations in connection with the death of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, who was shot by officers enforcing a search warrant which they obtained based on false information.[20][21]
Andrew Spengler 08587-089 Served a 15-year sentence; released November 27, 2020. Former Milwaukee police officer; convicted in 2007 of civil rights violations in connection with the 2004 knifepoint beating of Frank Jude Jr.; known as the worst incident of police brutality in the city's history.[22]
Steve Stockman 23502-479 Served 2 years of a 10-year sentence; sentence commuted by then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020. Former Republican Congressman from Texas, convicted of 23 felony counts in 2018. Ordered to pay $1,014,718.51 in restitution.[23]
Leland Yee 19629-111 Served 4 years of a 5-year sentence; Released in June 2020. Former Democratic California State Senator and gun control advocate; convicted in 2016 of charges relating to public corruption and gun trafficking.[24]

Others

Inmate name Register number Status Details
Rubin Gottesman 88085-012 Released from custody in 1997; served 1 year. Owner of X-Citement Video, a pornographic film company; convicted in 1994 of trafficking in child pornography in connection with an explicit film featuring an underage Traci Lords.[25]
Bernard Ebbers 56022-054 Deceased; sentenced to 25 years, served 13, released early on compassionate grounds and died about a month later.[26] CEO of failed telecommunications company WorldCom.
Eric Kay 04401-509 Now at FCI Englewood. Former communications director for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball; convicted of distributing fentanyl and causing the drug-related death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs on July 1, 2019. Kay faced a minimum sentence of 20 years and maximum sentence of life in prison and was ultimately sentenced to 22 years on October 11, 2022.[27]
Joseph Maldonado-Passage ("Joe Exotic") 26154-017 Serving a 21-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2035. Zoo operator and country musician; convicted of 8 Lacey Act violations, 8 Endangered Species Act violations, and 2 counts of murder-for-hire after plotting to kill Carole Baskin, chief executive officer of an animal rescue organization. Subject of the TV documentary miniseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.[28][29]
Yassein Said 06584-509 Serving a 12-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2029. Convicted of conspiracy to help shield a fugitive in the case of his brother Yaser Abdel Said.
Jacques Roy 44132-177 Serving a 35-year sentence. Scheduled for release in 2040. Physician; indicted in 2012 for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud for allegedly masterminding the largest healthcare fraud in US history, which involved 11,000 patients and resulted in $375 million being fraudulently billed to Medicare and Medicaid.[30][31]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ex-corrections officer at Fort Worth federal prison may do time for sex with inmate | News". www.star-telegram.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  2. ^ Gordon, Scott (October 1, 2012). "FBI: Inmate Tried to Kill Federal Judge". Dallas-Fort Worth: NBC 5. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  3. ^ "FBI — FCI Fort Worth Inmate Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot Against Federal Judge". Fbi.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  4. ^ "Inmate Locator". Bop.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  5. ^ Ramirez, Domingo. "Fort Worth man sentenced to 20 years for trying to hire hit man to kill judge".
  6. ^ "Sun Journal - Google News Archive Search". Archived from the original on January 24, 2013.
  7. ^ "5 Florida men get prison for plotting terrorist attacks with al Qaeda". CNM. November 21, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Loney, Jim (May 12, 2009). "Miami jury finds five guilty in Sears Tower plot". Reuters. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  9. ^ MARK A. UHLIGPublished: May 5, 1988 (May 5, 1988). "Paul Vario, 73; Called a Leader Of Crime Group". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2014.((cite news)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Genovese Family Keeps Its Chin Up: Gigante becomes top don as Gotti fades". Daily News. August 12, 2001. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  11. ^ Raab, Selwyn (December 19, 2005). "Vincent Gigante, Mafia Leader Who Feigned Insanity, Dies at 77". The New York Times.
  12. ^ "Philadelphia mobster Salvatore 'Chuckie' Merlino dies in prison". Philadelphia Inquirer. March 16, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  13. ^ "Federal Racketeering Charges". Mafia Today. March 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  14. ^ "707 F.2d 862: United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Gilbert L. Dozier, Defendant-appellant". law.justia.com. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  15. ^ "Persistence paid off for jailed Dozier", Minden Press-Herald, July 23, 1984, p. 1
  16. ^ "Bill Sherman, "Louisiana ag chiefs: past and present", July 3, 2008" (PDF). ldaf.state.la.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  17. ^ "Pol in the Pen". Time. June 8, 1981. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "James McDougal, Central Figure in Whitewater Inquiry, Dies at 57". The New York Times. March 9, 1998. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  19. ^ Published: November 15, 1992 (November 15, 1992). "Former Navajo Leader Convicted". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2014.((cite news)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Ex-Atlanta officers get prison time for cover-up in deadly raid". CNN. February 24, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  21. ^ "USDOJ: Three Former Atlanta Police Officers Sentenced to Prison in Fatal Shooting of Elderly Atlanta Woman". Justice.gov. February 24, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  22. ^ "#07-956: 11-29-07 Three Former Milwaukee Police Officers Sentenced on Civil Rights-related Charges". Justice.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  23. ^ "Former U.S. Congressman Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Extensive Fraud, Tax, and Election Crimes Scheme". November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  24. ^ "Ex-state Sen. Leland Yee gets 5 years in prison in corruption case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  25. ^ "Video Porn Distributor Gets 1-Year Sentence". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 1989. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  26. ^ Sarah Krouse (February 3, 2020). "www.wsj.com". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  27. ^ T.J. Quinn (February 17, 2022). "Jury finds Eric Kay guilty of distributing fentanyl and causing the death of former pitcher Tyler Skaggs". ESPN. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  28. ^ Miller, Julie (March 19, 2020). "Netflix's Wild Tiger King Is Your Next True Crime TV Obsession". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  29. ^ "Tiger King". Netflix. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  30. ^ "Dallas Doctor Arrested For Alleged Role In Nearly $375 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme". US Department of Justice. February 28, 2012. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  31. ^ Fink, Jack (February 28, 2012). "Rockwall Doctor Charged In Biggest U.S. Healthcare Fraud Ever". CBS. Retrieved May 14, 2013.

External links

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