United States Penitentiary, Coleman

United States Penitentiary, Coleman

USP Coleman I USP Coleman II
Location	Sumter County, near Wildwood, Florida
Coordinates	28°45′46″N 82°00′51″W
Status	Operational
Security class	High-security
Population	1,456 at USP Coleman I, 1,203 at USP Coleman II (September 2023)
Opened	2001
Managed by	Federal Bureau of Prisons
Warden	Bryan Antonelli (USP Coleman I), Roy Cheatam (USP Coleman II)

The United States Penitentiary, Coleman I and II (USP Coleman I and II) are high-security United States federal prisons for male inmates in Florida. It is part of the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Coleman I was opened in 2001, and in 2004 Clark Construction completed a 555,000-square-foot (51,600 m²) additional component for USP Coleman II.

FCC Coleman is located in Central Florida, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Orlando, 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Tampa, and 35 miles (56 km) south of Ocala.^[1]

United States Penitentiary, Coleman 1

USP Coleman 1 is a high security federal lockup that houses several notorious and infamous criminals. Inmates at this facility consist of dozens of international terrorists, high profile drug and arms dealers and other serial and repeat offenders. Inmates housed here report extreme violence at this facility. According to one respondent, “General population is very violent, even against staff members.” Another explained, “The violence is terrible. People are regularly killed.” Another inmate agreed, stating, “Violence is very high, and safety is very poor.” Former inmates also report frequent lockdowns at this facility, due to the level of violence.

United States Penitentiary, Coleman 2

Former prisoner Nate A. Lindell wrote that USP Coleman II is "a so-called special-needs prison—a 'safe' facility where informants, former cops, ex-gang members, check-ins (prisoners who intentionally put themselves in solitary confinement to be safe), homosexuals, and sex offenders can all, supposedly, walk the Yard freely. At regular BOP lockups, these types of men are in danger of being beaten, stabbed, or killed."^[2] The Marshall Project stated that "Coleman II did not respond to multiple requests for confirmation".^[2] However, in July 2023, convicted sex offender Larry Nassar, serving a life sentence at the facility, was stabbed 10 times, leading to his transfer to another federal prison soon after.^[3]

Officer Erin J. Sharma

On February 3, 2005, while working at USP Coleman I, Erin Sharma had an altercation with inmate Richard Allen Delano where Delano grabbed Sharma's arm through a food tray slot in the door and bruised it. Sharma said to Delano, "You're a dead man."^{[4][circular reference]}

On March 1, 2005, Delano, known to be a "snitch", was transferred into a cell with John Javilo "Animal" McCullah, a convicted murderer who had assaulted all of his previous cellmates. Prior to the transfer, witnesses overheard Sharma encouraging McCullah to attack Delano, but to do so on a day when she was not at work.

On March 4, while Sharma was on a three-day vacation, Delano was beaten into a coma. He died 13 days later. Sharma was charged with two felony counts of violating Delano's civil rights under color of law for conspiring to have him killed and with violating his Constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.

On July 29, 2009, a federal jury in Orlando found Sharma guilty of two felony federal civil rights charges related to the fatal assault of federal inmate Richard Delano in March 2005. She was subsequently sentenced to Life in prison.^[5]

Erin Sharma is the only Federal Correctional Officer that has been sentenced to life in prison for an act committed while at work.

Erin Sharma is married to Rajesh "Roger" Sharma, who works for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Officer Michael Rudkin

In late 2008, Michael Rudkin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having sex with a female inmate and plotting with her to kill his wife while he was a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, a federal prison for women in Connecticut.^[6] Rudkin was sent to FCC Coleman to serve his sentence. While at Coleman, Rudkin solicited the help of fellow inmates in June 2009 to find a hitman to kill his (now ex) wife, her new boyfriend, his former inmate paramour and a federal investigator. He provided a handwritten note giving physical descriptions and locations of the intended victims to fellow inmates. The inmates alerted authorities, who instructed the inmates to provide Rudkin with a false name and address of a "hitman." Rudkin subsequently mailed money from his inmate account to the alleged "hitman" as an advance. Rudkin was subsequently convicted of orchestrating the plot and sentenced to 90 years in prison, which he served at the United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, the federal facility in Indiana.^[7][8] On 24 August 2021, he was beaten to death by another inmate.^[9]

Notable inmates (current and former)

†The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 eliminated parole for most federal inmates. However, inmates sentenced for offenses committed prior to 1987 are eligible for parole consideration.^[10]

Infamous prisoners

Inmate Name	Register Number	Photo	Status	Details
Leonard Peltier	89637-132		Serving two life sentences plus seven years for an armed escape from USP Lompoc.[11]	Member of the American Indian Movement, a Native American activist group; convicted in a contested trial in 1977 of murdering FBI Agents Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams during a shootout at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975.[12]

Financial crimes

Inmate Name	Register Number	Photo	Status	Details
Allen Stanford	35017-183		Serving 110 years under his actual name, Robert Allen Stanford.[13] Scheduled release in 2103.	Owner of the now-defunct Stanford Financial Group; convicted in 2012 of 17 charges, including fraud, money laundering and masterminding a Ponzi scheme which defrauded thousands of investors of over $7 billion; the story was featured on the CNBC television program American Greed.[14]
Corrine Brown	67315-018^[permanent dead link‍]		Released from prison on April 22, 2020 citing health concerns.[15]	Democratic member of the House of Representatives; convicted in 2017 of 18 charges related to running a fraudulent charity, embezzling more than $300,000 for personal use.[16]

Terrorists

Inmate Name	Register Number	Photo	Status	Details
Ahmed Ajaj	40637-053		Serving an 84-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2091.	Convicted of participating in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Nidal Ayyad	16917-050		Serving an 86 year sentence. Scheduled for release in 2067.	Sentenced for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Amine El Khalifi	79748-083		Serving a 30-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2037.[17] Currently at FCI Williamsburg.	Al-Qaeda supporter; pleaded guilty in June 2012 to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction for plotting to conduct a suicide bombing at the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC in February 2012.[18][19]
Hysen Sherifi	51768-056		Serving a life sentence.	Convicted for being part of the Raleigh jihad group.
David Oquendo-Rivas	34348-069		Serving a life sentence.	Convicted in 2013 for the 2009 Sabana Seca massacre
Mohammed Odeh	42375-054		Serving a life sentence.	Participated in the 1998 United States embassy bombings

Organized crime figures

Inmate Name	Register Number	Photo	Status	Details
Whitey Bulger	02182-748		Served life sentences plus 5 years under his real name, James J. Bulger.[20] Murdered in 2018 upon arrival at USP Hazelton.	Former leader of the Winter Hill Gang in Massachusetts and FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive; apprehended in 2011 after 16 years on the run; convicted in 2013 of ordering 11 murders, as well as extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking. Transferred in October 2018 to the Federal Transfer Center and then to USP Hazelton, where he was murdered less than 24 hours after arrival.[21][22][23]
Benjamin Arellano Felix	00678-748		Scheduled for release in 2032. Now at USP Lee	Former leader of the Tijuana Cartel in Mexico, pleaded guilty in 2013 to conspiracy and money laundering for directing the importation of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US; the cartel killed over 1,000 civilians and police officers over a 16-year period.[24]
Louis Daidone	39065-053		Serving a life sentence.	Former acting boss of the Lucchese crime family, convicted of racketeering, loan sharking, extortion, and for the 1989 murder of Tom Gilmore, a Lucchese associate. He was also convicted of the 1990 murder of Bruno Facciola, in which Daidone lured Facciola into a Brooklyn garage where he was killed, and also stuffed a dead canary in Facciola’s mouth.[25]
Stephen Caracappa	04597-748		Sentenced to life plus 80 years.[17] Died in 2017.	Former NYPD detective; convicted in 2006 of taking bribes to carry out murders and leak law enforcement intelligence disclosing the identities of witnesses for then Lucchese crime family Underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso; his partner, Louis Eppolito, was sentenced to life plus 100 years.[26]
Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez	59344-380		Serving a life sentence.	Leader of the Mexican Gulf Cartel, extradited from Mexico to the U.S in 2015 on narcotics charges for importing cocaine and marijuana to the U.S, as well as threatening two federal agents at gunpoint during the 1999 Matamoros standoff.
Vincent Basciano	30694-054		Serving a life sentence.	Former boss of the Bonanno crime family, convicted in 2006 of the murder of Frank Santoro, later convicted in 2011 of ordering the murder of Bonnano associate Randolph Pizzolo.[27][28]
Ronnie Thomas	43322-037		Released from custody on November 10, 2022.	Leader of the Tree Top Pirus, a subset of the Bloods street gang in Maryland, and producer of the Stop Snitchin' video series; convicted in 2010 of racketeering for participating in murder conspiracy, drug trafficking and robbery.[29][30]
Edgar Valdez Villarreal	05658-748		Sentenced to 49 years.[31] Scheduled for release in 2056.	American-Mexican drug lord, extradited to US on September 30, 2015.[32] Will be released on 27 July 2056.
Ronell Wilson	71460-053		Serving a life sentence.	Gang leader in Staten Island, New York; murdered NYPD Detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews, who were conducting a sting operation to buy an illegal gun in 2003. Wilson was initially on death row before having his sentence reduced to life without parole on the grounds of that he was mentally disabled.[33][34]
José Antonio Acosta Hernández	92043-280		Sentenced to life imprisonment.	One of several known leaders of the Mexican gang La Línea.

Others

Inmate Name	Register Number	Photo	Status	Details
Randy Lanier	04961-069		Released in 2015; served 26 years.[35]	Racecar driver, 1984 IMSA Camel GT champion and 1986 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year; convicted in 1988 of directing a drug operation that brought more than 600,000 pounds of marijuana into the United States from Colombia between 1982 and 1986.[36][37]
Nicholas Slatten	16018-081		Granted a full presidential pardon by U.S. President Donald Trump after receiving a life sentence.[38][39]	Former Blackwater security guard, convicted of murder in 2014 for his role in the Nisour Square massacre.[40]
Mahdi Jama Mohamed	77985-083		Deceased. Died on August 22, 2023 while scheduled for release in 2041.	Sentenced for his involvement in the SY quest hijacking that resulted in the deaths of four American citizens.
Brendt Christensen	22127-026		Serving a life sentence.	Kidnapped, raped, and murdered Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[41]
Larry Nassar	21504-040		Serving a 60 year federal sentence; now at USP Lewisburg.[42]	Former USA Gymnastics team physician, and Michigan State University professor and clinician, convicted on federal charges relating to the possession of thousands of items of child pornography. Also convicted for sexually assaulting hundreds of underage girls countless times over decades.[43] On 9 July 2023, Nassar was stabbed multiple times by another inmate but survived.[44]
William Holliday, Jr	21026-017		Served 13 months and 3 days. Released on May 14, 2013.	In February 2011 the aspiring YouTuber was arrested, and marijuana valued at $400,000 was seized during the execution of a search warrant being conducted at his residence in Lafayette County, Florida.[45] Deputies seized 199 marijuana plants and 2,024 grams of harvested marijuana along with a scale and other drug paraphernalia. Holliday was charged with Possession with intent To Sell Mfg Or Deliver Schedule I, possession Schedule I over 20 grams and possession of weapon/ammo by convicted felon. Post release, Holliday joined the cop watch community and while filming a locally owned private pizza place, was spray painted by a local resident of the small town of Mayo, Florida. Holliday was subsequently trespassed from most of the local businesses. This lead Mr. Holliday, under the YouTube Channel Poor Dirt Farmer, to gin up a race war against the town during the tumultuous period of the summer of 2020 amidst protests and unrest occurring nationwide to no avail.[46]
George Martorano	12973-004		Sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Released on October 5, 2015 after serving 32 years.	Was the longest-serving first-time non-violent offender in the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the time of his release. Wrote 31 books while in prison.
Scott Lee Kimball	14444-006		Scheduled release date in 2082. Currently at USP Florence High.	Serial killer sentenced to 70 years in Colorado state prison in 2009 for financial crimes and four murders committed while he was an FBI informant. Suspected of having committed additional murders. Convicted of attempted escape in 2020 after a prisoner he was plotting with three years earlier informed the FBI; transferred from state to federal custody in 2021 for unknown reasons.[47]
Paul Anthony Ciancia	67089-112		Serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole plus 60 years, now at USP Victorville	Pleaded guilty in 2016 for the 2013 LAX Shooting.
Luke Sommer	38474-086		Scheduled release date in 2034.	Former US Army Ranger; pleaded guilty to bank robbery in 2008 for masterminding the takeover robbery of a bank in Tacoma, Washington; pleaded guilty in 2010 to attempting to solicit the murder of an Assistant United States Attorney.[48][49][50]
Auburn Calloway	14601-076		Serving a life sentence.	Attempted to hijack and crash Federal Express Flight 705 as a deadheading passenger. Convicted of attempted air piracy and interference of flight crew operations and given two consecutive life sentences, reduced to one following appeal.[51]

See also

• List of United States federal prisons
• Federal Bureau of Prisons
• Incarceration in the United States

References

1. "BOP: FCI Coleman Medium". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
2. Lindell, Nate A. "My Memories of Being in Prison with Whitey Bulger." The Marshall Project. May 17, 2016. Retrieved on March 29, 2016.
3. "Larry Nassar Allegedly Shivved". Yahoo. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
4. "Erin Sharma Wikipedia".
5. "DOJ Press Release:Former Federal Corrections Officer Sentenced to Life in Prison on Civil Rights Charges Related to Fatal Assault".
6. [1] Archived January 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
7. "FORMER FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL OFFICER, NOW AN INMATE, INDICTED FOR ATTEMPTS TO KILL FEDERAL AGENT AND INFORMANT" (PDF). Justice.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
8. Stephen Hudak (2010-07-15). "Former guard gets 90 years in prison for trying to arrange murders behind bars". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
9. "AP sources: Jailed ex-officer in murder plot beaten to death at federal prison in Terre Haute". 26 August 2021.
10. "History of The Federal Parole System". US Department of Justice. Archived from the original on 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
11. "Exclusive: Leonard Peltier Speaks Out from Prison on Denial of Medical Care, Bid for Clemency". Democracy Now!. December 19, 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
12. "AIM occupation of Wounded Knee ends — History.com This Day in History — 5/8/1973". History.com. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
13. Roberts, Daniel (July 7, 2014). "Orange is the New White-Collar". Fortune Magazine. Time Inc. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
14. Krauss, Clifford (2012-06-14). "Stanford Sentenced to 110-Year Term in $7 Billion Ponzi Case". The New York Times.
15. Piggott, Jim; Gardner, Lynnsey; Purdy, Joy; Johnson, Scott (April 22, 2020). "Corrine Brown released from prison over coronavirus fears". WJXT. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
16. Haag, Matthew (2017-12-04). "Corrine Brown, Ex-Congresswoman Who Ran a Sham Charity, Gets 5 Years in Prison". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
17. Rodgers, Bethany (July 5, 2015). "Infamous crime bosses, killers, pirate keep company inside Coleman prison". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
18. "Virginia Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Carry out Suicide Bomb Attack on U.S. Capitol | OPA | Department of Justice". Justice.gov. 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
19. Jouvenal, Justin (2012-09-15). "Crime". The Washington Post.
20. "Bulger Sentenced to Two Life Terms". Federal Bureau of Investigation. November 14, 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
21. "James "Whitey" Bulger moved to Oklahoma prison". 25 October 2018.
22. Deborah Feyerick; Kristina Sgueglia (August 13, 2013). "High life brought low: Jury finds 'Whitey' Bulger guilty in killings, racketeering". CNN. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
23. Seelye, Katharine (August 12, 2013). "Bulger Guilty in Gangland Crimes, Including Murder". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
24. Richard Maros (2012-04-03). "Former drug kingpin Arellano Felix gets 25-year prison term". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
25. Gootman, Elissa (November 15, 2002). "14 Charged in Investigation of Mob Family on Long Island". New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
26. Feuer, Alan (2009-03-09). "Louis J. Eppolito News - The New York Times". Topics.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
27. Rashbaum, William K. (2006-05-10). "Former Salon Owner Is Convicted of Racketeering, but Not Murder". The New York Times.
28. O'Connor, Anahad (2011-06-01). "Vincent Basciano Sentenced to Life, Not Death". The New York Times.
29. Washington, The (2010-01-29). "Baltimore's 'Stop Snitching' star convicted". Washington Times. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
30. "Baltimore Crime Beat: Producer of Stop Snitching video sentenced - Baltimore crime news: Police, courts and police stories in the city and central Maryland - baltimoresun.com". Weblogs.baltimoresun.com. 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
31. Drug lord ‘La Barbie’ sentenced to 49 years in federal prison. Fox News. 11 June 2018.
32. Corcoran, Katherine (1 October 2015). "Mexico extradites top drug lords 'La Barbie,' 'El Coss' to US from maximum security jail". U.S. News. The Associated Press.
33. Brick, Michael (February 6, 2007). "Detectives' Killer Breaks Windows in Jail". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
34. Hays, Tom (July 24, 2013). "Ronell Wilson, NY Cop Killer, Gets Death Penalty". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
35. Reiman, Samuel (October 9, 2014). "Randy Lanier released from prison after 26-year sentence". foxsports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
36. "Sports people: Auto Racing; Driver Jailed - New York Times". New York Times. 1988-12-22. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
37. "Driver Randy Lanier Gets Life in Prison". Los Angeles Times. December 22, 1988. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
38. Haberman, Maggie; Schmidt, Michael S. (2020-12-23). "Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
39. "Ex-Blackwater Guard Gets Life in Prison for Baghdad Shooting - Bloomberg". Bloomberg. April 14, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
40. "Blackwater Guards Found Guilty in 2007 Iraq Killings". New York Times. October 22, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
41. Zigterman, Ben (March 26, 2020). "UI again files motion to have lawsuit from slain scholar's family dismissed". The News-Gazette. Champaign, IL. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
42. Moore, Marcia (2023-08-01). "Convicted abuser of top athletes, children, moved to USP Lewisburg". The Daily Item. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
43. "Lawrence Nassar Sentenced To 60 Years In Federal Prison". United States Department of Justice. December 7, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2018. Lawrence Gerard Nassar, 54, of Holt, Michigan...
44. Balsamo, Michael; Sisak, Michael R. (July 10, 2023). "Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar stabbed multiple times at Florida federal prison: AP sources". Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
45. writer, Cindy Swirko Staff. "Two arrested and $400,000 worth of marijuana seized in Mayo". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
46. Poor Dirt Farmer Attempts to Create a Racial War in Mayo... What Sign PDF?, retrieved 2023-12-27
47. Maass, Brian (June 9, 2021). "Serial Killer Scott Kimball Moved Out Of Colorado". KCNC-TV. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
48. Carter, Mike (13 December 2008). "Former Army Ranger gets 24 years in prison for bank robbery". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
49. Ramonas, Andrew (8 March 2010). "Former Army Ranger Sentenced For Plan To Kill Federal Prosecutor in Washington State". Main Justice (WDC Media). Retrieved 17 November 2013.
50. "FORMER ARMY RANGER BANK ROBBER PLEADS GUILTY TO ASSAULT AND TRYING TO HIRE A HIT MAN". US Department of Justice. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
51. "U.S v. Calloway". United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. 25 July 1997. Retrieved 9 August 2024.

External links

• USP Coleman I at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Official site)
• Clark Construction on Coleman II at the Clark Construction website.
• History of Coleman I at the Prisoner Resource website.