Federal Correctional Institution, Waseca

Federal Correctional Institution, Waseca

Location	Waseca, Minnesota
Status	Operational
Security class	Low-security
Population	1,070
Opened	1995
Managed by	Federal Bureau of Prisons

The Federal Correctional Institution, Waseca (FCI Waseca) is a low-security United States federal prison for female offenders in Minnesota. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.^[1] The site, located 75 miles from Minneapolis, was converted into a prison in 1992 after formerly serving as a University of Minnesota campus.

History

FCI Waseca opened in 1995 as an all-male facility. In 2006, FCI Waseca received its most high-profile prisoner when Jeffrey Skilling, CEO of the now defunct Enron Corporation was sent there after he was convicted of insider trading, securities fraud and other charges for making a $60 million profit by selling company stock in anticipation of the company's 2001 collapse.^[2] Skilling was transferred to FCI Englewood, another low-security facility in Colorado, after FCI Waseca was converted into an all-female prison in 2008.

Notable incidents

While they are a rarity in women's prisons, the FBI was called in to investigate a serious act of violence at FCI Waseca in June 2011. Felicia Thomas, a 45-year-old inmate serving a sentence for arson, allegedly attempted to strangle another inmate with a rope taken from a laundry bag. Thomas pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon on January 11, 2013 and was subsequently sentenced to an additional 41 months in prison. She is currently scheduled for release in 2021.^[3][4][5]

Notable inmates (current and former)

Inmate Name	Register Number	Status	Details
Catherine Greig	57820-112	Temporarily in custody of the US Marshals Service pending further federal court hearings.[6][7]	Girlfriend of former FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive and Mafia figure James "Whitey" Bulger; pleaded guilty in 2012 to harboring a fugitive and identity fraud for illegally obtaining Social Security numbers, licenses and birth certificates in order to assist Bulger evade capture.[8][9]
Rita Crundwell	44540-424	Serving a 19-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2030.[10]	Former comptroller for the city of Dixon, Illinois; pleaded guilty in 2012 to wire fraud and money laundering for stealing $53 million in city funds and using it for personal expenses between 1991 and 2012; the story was featured on the CNBC television program American Greed.[11][12]
Shelley Shannon	59755-065	Serving a 20-year sentence under her real name, Rachelle Shannon; scheduled for release in 2018.	Member of the extremist group Army of God; served 10 years in state prison for the attempted murder of Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller in 1993; pleaded guilty in 1995 to firebombing six abortion clinics in California, Nevada and Oregon.[13]
Jamie Paulin Ramirez	65146-066	Serving an 8-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2017.[14]	US citizen known as "Jihad Jamie;" pleaded guilty in 2011 to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism for using the Internet to recruit people to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe.[15][16][17]
Kristen Parker	36339-013	Serving a 30-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2035.	Heroin addict and former technician at Rose Medical Center in Colorado; pleaded guilty in 2009 to stealing clean syringes intended for patients and swapping them with used syringes contaminated with the Hepatitis C virus, causing at least 18 patients to be infected.[18][19]

See also

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

References

1. "BOP: FCI Waseca". Bop.gov. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
2. Nienaber, Dan (2006-12-06). "Waseca set to welcome infamous inmate - Mankato Free Press: Local News". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
3. "FBI — Federal Inmate Indicted for Assaulting Another Inmate". Fbi.gov. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
4. "FBI — Federal Inmate Sentenced for Assaulting Another Inmate". Fbi.gov. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
5. "Federal Bureau of Prisons". Bop.gov. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
6. Murphy, Shelley (February 16, 2015). "‘Whitey’ Bulger’s girlfriend refuses to testify". Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
7. "'Whitey' Bulger's Lover Catherine Greig in Court on Contempt Charge". NBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
8. "Girlfriend gets 8 years for hiding 'Whitey' Bulger - CNN.com". Articles.cnn.com. 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
9. "Longtime girlfriend of "Whitey" Bulger has 8-year sentence upheld". Fox News. 2013-05-17. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
10. Becker, Tara (June 5, 2013). "Crundwell settles in at Minnesota prison". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
11. "USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - Northern District of Illinois". Justice.gov. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
12. Pavlo, Walter (2013-02-14). "Fmr Dixon, IL Comptroller, Rita Crundwell, Sentenced to 19 1/2 Years In Prison". Forbes. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
13. Published: September 09, 1995 (1995-09-09). "Woman Gets 20-Year Sentence In Attacks on Abortion Clinics - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
14. Dale, Maryclaire (January 8, 2014). "Colo. Woman Gets 8 Years in Pa. in Jihadist Plot". Retrieved 8 January 2014.
15. "Pennsylvania Woman Pleads Guilty in Plot to Recruit Violent Jihadist Fighters and to Commit Murder Overseas". US Department of Justice. February 1, 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
16. Candiotti, Susan (March 8, 2011). "'Jihad Jane' ally pleads guilty to terrorism charge". CNN. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
17. Hall, Peter (March 10, 2011). "'Jihad Jane' codefendant pleads guilty to terrorism charge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
18. "News from DEA, Domestic Field Divisions, Denver News Releases, 09/25/09". Justice.gov. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
19. Johnson, Kirk (2010-02-24). "Denver Woman Sentenced in Hepatitis Infection Case". The New York Times.

External links

• FCI Waseca from Federal Bureau of Prisons

Coordinates: 44°04′10″N 93°31′01″W / 44.06944°N 93.51694°W