Federal Correctional Institution, Gilmer
 | |
| Location |
Gilmer County, near Glenville, West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Medium-Security (with minimum-security prison camp) |
| Population | 1,730 (160 in prison camp) |
| Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
The Federal Correctional Institution, Gilmer (FCI Gilmer) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in West Virginia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. An adjacent satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male inmates.
FCI Gilmer is located in central West Virginia, 85 miles northeast of Charleston and 150 miles from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]
Notable incidents
2010 escape
On the night of August 28, 2010, Harvey Brewer, an inmate serving a sentence for possession with the intent to distribute heroin, walked away from the minimum-security prison camp at FCI Gilmer, which has no perimeter fence. His absence was discovered during the midnight head count, one of the five daily prisoner counts held on weekends and holidays. Brewer was apprehended attempting to reenter the prison camp shortly afterward. At about the same time, a vehicle reportedly belonging to Brewer's girlfriend, Tasha Saunders, was spotted at a Best Western Inn about five miles from the prison and an officer from the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office took her into custody near the hotel. Brewer was convicted of escape and Saunders of aiding and abetting escape on March 22, 2012.
The result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office indicated that other escapes may have gone unnoticed. Interviews of witnesses and security video footage at the hotel revealed that Brewer and Saunders had been seen at the hotel several times previously and only stayed for short periods of time. In addition, the discovery of contraband at an abandoned house near the prison raised the possibility that Brewer and others inmates had made a practice of going back and forth from the prison camp to the Best Western Glenville Inn to see family members or girlfriends, or to pick up contraband.[2][3]
2010 riot
A riot broke out in the recreation yard at FCI Gilmer on September 23, 2010. One faction of approximately 100 gang members suddenly attacked another group of 20 gang members who were recently transferred into the facility. Inmates used horseshoes, rocks, boots and fists to assault each other. One correctional officer was struck in the face with a rock. Five inmates were hospitalized. A source reported that one inmate suffered a life-threatening injury after being speared in the eye with a piece of a broom handle and another was severely injured as a result of being repeatedly struck with a horseshoe. Officers, dressed in full riot gear, used tear gas to bring the violence under control.
The facility was placed on lockdown, meaning all inmates were confined to their cells and prohibited from engaging in any and all activities.[4]
2011 assault
On February 8, 2011, inmate Cesar Ledesma-Carrillo, who was serving a 75-month sentence at FCI Gilmer, repeatedly struck his cellmate with combination locks wrapped inside a towel. The victim, who the Bureau of Prisons did not identify, suffered severe lacerations to the head. Ledesma-Carrillo, 34, pleaded guilty to assaulting an inmate with dangerous weapons with intent to do bodily harm in August 2012. He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, to be served consecutively with his original 75-month sentence.[5] Ledesma-Carrillo was subsequently transferred to the United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, a high-security facility in West Virginia. He was released in 2016.[6]
Notable inmates (current and former)
| Inmate Name | Register Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd Lee Corkins | 32193-016 | Serving a 25-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2034. | Pleaded guilty in 2013 to a terrorism charge for shooting a security guard at the Washington, DC headquarters of the conservative lobbying group Family Research Council in August 2012 in retaliation for the group's opposition to gay marriage. |
| Robert Courtney | 14536-045 | Serving a 30-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2027. | Former pharmacist; pleaded guilty in 2002 to deliberately diluting the chemotherapy drugs of an estimated 4,200 cancer patients for profit; known as "The Toxic Pharmacist;" the story was featured on the CNBC television show American Greed.[7] |
| Hector Rivera | 90335-054 | Serving a 32-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2036. | Leader of a robbery crew which stole millions of dollars in diamonds and other jewels from businesses in the Diamond District in Manhattan, New York; convicted in 2009 of committing Hobbs Act robbery and using a firearm during crimes of violence.[8] |
See also
References
- ↑ "FCI Gilmer". Federal Bureau of Prisons.
- ↑ Moody, Drew (October 6, 2010). "GILMER PRISON OFFICIALS DELAY REPORTING ESCAPED PRISONER". The Hur Herald.
- ↑ "Two Individuals Convicted on Escape Charge". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- ↑ "FIVE INMATES HOSPITALIZED IN GILMER PRISON RIOT - Prison On Lockdown, Gang Members Tear-Gassed During Episode".
- ↑ "FBI — Three Federal Inmates Enter Pleas and are Sentenced in Federal Court". Fbi.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ↑ "Inmate Locator". Bop.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ↑ Draper, Robert (June 8, 2003). "The Toxic Pharmacist". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ↑ "Leader of Diamond Hijacking and Robbery Crew Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 32 Years in Prison". Federal Bureau of Investigation. US Department of Justice. May 20, 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
Coordinates: 38°54′56″N 80°47′03″W / 38.91556°N 80.78417°W