USP_Lee

United States Penitentiary, Lee

United States Penitentiary, Lee

US high-security federal prison in Virginia

The United States Penitentiary, Lee (USP Lee) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Virginia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp which houses minimum-security male offenders.

Quick Facts Location, Coordinates ...

USP Lee is located in the Lee County Industrial Park, an unincorporated area in Lee County, Virginia,[1] in the southwestern part of the state. The prison is located off of U.S. Route 58 at the intersection of Route 638, near Pennington Gap and 8 miles (13 km) east of Jonesville.[2]

History

The annual per capita income of Lee County was $12,917 in the early 1990s, making the Virginia area a prime candidate to host a federal prison and bring money into the community.[3]

Architectural and construction work of the 635,097-square-foot (59,000 m2) facility was administered by Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, now known as AECOM.[4] Computer modeling was utilized to identify and minimize blindspots of prison watchtowers. Construction began in the summer of 1998 on a budget of $102 million. The penitentiary was completed in August 2001 and began receiving inmates in 2002. According to project manager Gary Carsten of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the main recurring problem of the facility is the excessive strain on Lee County's sewage system.[3]

Archaeological discoveries on the prison property include arrowheads and pottery from a Native American gravesite believed to be associated with an ancient hospital dating as far back as 10,000 years.[3]

Notable incidents

On February 25, 2008, inmate Edward Porta was noted to be missing during a 4 p.m. count after apparently walking away from the minimum security camp.[5] Porta defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture of more than $400,000. He remained a fugitive for over eight years until he was recaptured in May 2016, and was profiled on the television program America's Most Wanted.[6]

There have been incidents of violence at USP Lee and several homicides. Inmate Quinten Corniel was killed on September 30, 2008, and inmate Ernest Bennett died on January 22, 2010, both during altercations with other inmates.[7][8] On April 29, 2010, Filikisi Hafoka, a member of the Tongan Crip Gang, was taken off life support after being stabbed on the previous weekend.[9] As is procedure, USP Lee went into lockdown after these incidents and investigations were conducted. The killers of Corniel and Bennett were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.[10][11]

Notable inmates (current and former)

Organized crime

More information Inmate Name, Register Number ...

Other crimes

More information Inmate Name, Register Number ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "USP Lee." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on January 3, 2012. "USP LEE U.S. PENITENTIARY LEE COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK HICKORY FLATS ROAD PENNINGTON GAP, VA 24277"
  2. [2]
    "USP Lee." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on January 3, 2012. "USP Lee is located in southwest Virginia in Lee County, 8 miles east of Jonesville, off U.S. 58 at the intersection of State Route 638."
  3. [3]
    Matthew Crawford (October 6, 2005). "Obstacle Course". Correctional News. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  4. [4]
    "U.S. Penitentiary & Satellite Camp (Lee County, Virginia)". Hopkins Foodservice Specialists. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  5. [5]
    Walter Littrell (February 26, 2008). "Inmate on the lam from U.S. Penitentiary in Lee County". Kingsport Times-News. Kingsport, Tennessee. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  6. [6]
    "Edward Porta". America's Most Wanted. April 22, 2009. Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  7. [7]
    Michael Owens (October 2, 2008). "Few Details Released In Lee County Federal Prison Death". TriCities.com. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  8. [8]
    Wes Bunch (January 22, 2010). "Lee County prison on lockdown after inmate's death". Kingsport Times-News. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  9. [9]
    Melinda Rogers (April 30, 2010). "Former Utah gang member killed while serving prison sentence in Virginia". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  10. [10]
    United States of America v Robert Gbanapolor, Vawd.uscourts.gov.
  11. [11]
    Archived February 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  12. [12]
    McFadden, Robert. "Drug Trafficker Convicted Of Blowing Up Jetliner". The New York Times. December 20, 1994. Retrieved on January 3, 2012.
  13. [13]
    "Zetas Hitman Gets Life in Prison" (Press release). San Antonio Division, FBI. October 19, 2012. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
  14. [14]
    "Life Sentence For Bid to Sell Secrets to Iraq". The New York Times. 2003-03-21. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
  15. [15]
    "Third Defendant Sentenced in Murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas". Federal Bureau of Investigation. December 19, 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  16. [16]
    "Five Somalis Convicted of Piracy Against USS Nicholas". Federal Bureau of Investigation. US Department of Justice. November 24, 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  17. [17]
    "Ex-Broward sheriff jailed year and a day". South Florida Sun Sentinel. 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
  18. [18]
    "Ex-sheriff moved to Virginia prison". South Florida Sun Sentinel. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
  19. [19]
    Roper, John. "Duran: 40 years for White House shooting". UPI. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  20. [20]
    "Soldier charged with murdering fellow troops in Iraq". NBC News. 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  21. [21]
    Loh, Tim. "Soldier found guilty of murder in shooting of CT soldier". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  22. [22]
    "Guilty Verdict In Murder Of Stockton Soldier In Iraq - CBS Sacramento". www.cbsnews.com. 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
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