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]
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]
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]
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]
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 familyUnderbossAnthony "Gaspipe" Casso; his partner, Louis Eppolito, was sentenced to life plus 100 years.[26]
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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]