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Tag: prison

  • Teresa Giudice Does Yoga, Emails, Skips Meals in Prison

    Teresa Giudice, former star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, is in prison. She was sentenced to be there for 15 months, and started serving her time in January of this year. Giudice has been keeping a diary of her time inside Danbury prison, and plans to releasea memoir of her stay there.

    Her writings stand in sharp contrast to the types of material seen on shows like Orange Is the New Black and the book that preceded it. But perhaps Giudice will be able to capitalize on that show’s popularity in marketing her own book.

    “It’s going to be about growing up from humble beginnings,” Giudice’s attorney, told Us Weekly. “She will also tell the story everyone is dying to know: what life is like behind bars.”

    Rather than the Shawshank-style environment that some might be drooling for, Giudice seems to have first-world problems, even in prison. In one entry, she complains about prison food. But it’s a soy burger.

    “I went to lunch at 10:20. I had tater tots, a soy burger that was so gross and orange! I also had some potato salad. They feed us so much here. I’m going to have potatoes coming out of my ears pretty soon.”

    In another released entry Giudice talks about violence among other inmates, but curiously calls them “roommates.”

    “There is a lady in here, she hit her roommate. The officers are up here now to evaluate the situation. She is a crazy lady who fights with everyone.”

    Teresa Giudice does not hit the weight pile in the yard with the hardened felons. She does yoga and skips meals she does not like.

    “Did yoga at 8:30 until 9:10. They had BBQ beef [for dinner]. I did not eat that.”

    Giudice has email and computer privileges in Danbury, evidenced by her entry about an email from daughter Gia.

    “I got an email from Gia. She got an award for perseverance. I started crying at the computer. I was so happy for her, and saying to myself, ‘That is my daughter.’”

    Giudice’s release date is set for February 15, 2016. Rumors of her negotiating an early parole have been denied by the prison.

  • Amber Portwood Reflects On What She Missed In Prison

    Amber Portwood, one of the stars of MTV’s Teen Mom, was released from prison in November after serving 17 months of her five-year sentence.

    Since being released, Portwood has realized all that she missed while she was incarcerated. Amber was originally sentenced in 2012 after being charged with drug possession. While going to prison isn’t ideal for anyone, it was especially hard on Amber to leave her young daughter Leah.

    Now, being in the real world again, Amber has been struggling, not only to stay clean, but to mend her relationship with Leah. “I missed out on a lot of important moments,” Portwood told RadarOnline.com. “I felt like I missed out on so much.”

    “When I got out: she was so smart, she was talking more and she was taller,” Portwood continued. “It was crazy to me, and I did feel like I needed to make up for lost times.”

    While Amber missed her daughter terribly, the feeling was definitely mutual for Leah. “She knew exactly where I was,” Portwood said. “[But when I got out], she was really excited and she told me that she knew where I was and that ‘Jesus was fixing mommy’s heart.’”

    Portwood’s primary focus now is to have the best relationship possible with her daughter, and not miss any more memories or milestones. “Honestly, the only thing that you can do in situations like that is spend as much time as you can with them,” she said. “And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing and just trying to spend that time that you’ve lost.”

    Portwood is trying to make every day count, and is spending as much time with Leah as possible. “I wasn’t there for her first day of pre-school, but I was there for her first day of kindergarten,” she explained. “I went over there and I got her ready for school and it was amazing to be able to do something like that because you know where you could be.”

    “I always bring her to the park if it’s nice out,” Portwood said. “We go get ice cream. We do normal things. We’ll turn on music and dance. She loves dancing. She loves singing. And in the morning when we wake up and I’m making breakfast or something, I turn on my music and she plays. It’s nice.”

  • Wesley Snipes Jokes About His Time In Prison

    Action star Wesley Snipes is back on the big screen in the new Expendables 3 film alongside Sylvester Stallone.

    Snipes spoke to reporters ahead of the film’s world premiere on Monday, and revealed that Stallone had penned him for the first film, however he was a bit “preoccupied at the time.”

    In 2008, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to file his income tax returns. He started his jail time in 2010, and was just recently released. “They reserved a spot for me and when the opportunity came along he reached out again and said come join us, we would like you to be a part of this,” the 52-year-old actor said.

    Snipes tries not to take his time in prison too seriously, and the film even makes reference to Snipes in the first scene with a tax-evasion joke.

    “Whether I do something really funny or really stupid, it is okay with me,” Snipes said. “I think that is what life is about. You can’t take life itself too seriously.”

    “At the end of the day, nobody really cares. You’re going to be forgotten anyway. The issues and problems that you think are like mountains that you have to deal with now, after time goes by, nobody cares,” he added. “Might as well have a good time with it.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chelsea Manning to Begin Gender Treatments

    Chelsea Elizabeth Manning, born Bradley Edward Manning, the United States Army soldier convicted last July of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses, is set to start a basic treatment for her gender identity condition.

    Manning was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment after being found guilty of 17 espionage-related charges, and is eligible for parole after eight years served. Manning is presently being held in a military lockup at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Bureau of Prisons rejected the Army’s request to accept her transfer to a civilian facility. Thursday Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved the Army’s recommendation to keep Manning in military custody and start a rudimentary level of gender treatment.

    Military prisons, which are generally regarded as being safer than civilian prisons, might not have the knowledge and means to afford Manning proper care, according to defense officials. Though, Manning might now be allowed to wear women’s undergarments, and begin hormone treatment. Which might lead to a decision as to when it becomes time for her to be transferred to an all-female facility.

    In April, 2010, Manning emailed her then supervisor, Master Sergeant Paul Adkins, explaining her gender dysphoria. She attached a photograph of herself dressed as a woman, and wrote:

    This is my problem. I’ve had signs of it for a very long time. It’s caused problems within my family. I thought a career in the military would get rid of it. It’s not something I seek out for attention, and I’ve been trying very, very hard to get rid of it by placing myself in situations where it would be impossible. But, it’s not going away; it’s haunting me more and more as I get older. Now, the consequences of it are dire, at a time when it’s causing me great pain in itself …

    Manning has been a polarizing character during the age of Wikileaks and Edward Snowden. Some have seen her as a patriot, others as a traitor. The gender treatment approval is likewise a polarizing matter:

    In May, Manning’s lawyer David Coombs commented, “It has been almost a year since we first filed our request for adequate medical care. I am hopeful that when the Army says it will start a ‘rudimentary level’ of treatment that this means hormone replacement therapy.” If the military fails to provide hormone therapy, Coombs said he will take “appropriate legal action to ensure Chelsea finally receives the medical treatment she deserves and is entitled to under the law.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ex-New Orleans Mayor Gets 10-Year Prison Sentence

    Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin received a 10-year prison term Wednesday after being convicted of bribery, money laundering and other corruption back in February.

    Nagin, 58, had served two terms in office, and was mayor of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Nagin had accepted roughly $500K from various businesses that wanted to work in the city, and the former mayor also received free vacations and truckloads of granite which he was able to use in his family’s business.

    U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan handed down the sentence Wednesday morning, and Nagin maintained his innocence of any wrongdoing. Prosecutors were pushing for a longer sentence, more like 20 years, but Berrigan took into account that Nagin made little profit as compared to others in a multi-million dollar scandal. Berrigan commented, “Mr. Nagin claimed a much, much smaller share of the profits in this conspiracy,.”

    Directly before receiving his sentence, Nagin thanked Berrigan for her professionalism, and said, “I trust that God’s going to work all this out.” Nagin is scheduled to report to the federal prison Oakdale, La., some time in September.

    Here Nagin makes his controversial post-Katrina “Chocolate City” remarks in 2006:

    Kanye West got a word in:

    Prosecutors also named Nagin’s two sons as being part of the bribery scandal for accepting the free granite, though they were never charged. Though federal guidelines would suggest the 20-year prison term, Judge Berrigan also took into account character references that portrayed Nagin to be a devoted son, husband and father. Berrigan also noted that Nagin exhibited “a genuine if all too infrequent” desire to help New Orleans residents after Katrina hit.

    Ray Nagin scandal Twitter intrigue:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Joss Stone Would-Be Killers Get Reduced Sentence

    Kevin Liverpool and Junior Bradshaw could have killed Joss Stone. The songstress may have narrowly escaped being beheaded by these two blokes.

    In June of 2011, the two men travelled from Manchester to the where Stone lived in Devon. They were armed, they were determined, and they had a plan. They were going to cut Joss Stone’s head off and throw her body in a river.

    “I’ve got no doubt that Liverpool and Bradshaw intended to harm Miss Stone and that without the vigilance of the public and the good work of our officers, they represented a serious threat to her,” said Superintendent Steve Parker, the senior investigating officer on the case.

    The two men drove around, trying to find Joss Stone’s house. They even stopped a postman and asked for directions. Eventually area residents got suspicious and called police.

    The men were stopped and searched. It was discovered that they carried weapons, including a samurai sword, and notes detailing their plan to kill Stone.

    During the trial, it was revealed that robbery was the motive.

    When sentencing the two men, Judge Gilbert said, “It is clear from your text messages on your phone that from as early as November 2010 you had been planning to rob someone of what you hoped would be in excess of £1 million. By January 2011… you had identified Joss Stone as the target.”

    The two men were given stiff jail sentences. Liverpool was sentenced to life, with a minimum of ten years to serve before any parole hearing. Bradshaw was given 18 years.

    But now an appeals court judge has reduced the sentences for the two men. Liverpool had his minimum reduced to 6 1/2 years. Bradshaw’s total sentence was reduced to 10 years. No explanation has been given for the reduction.

    Image via YouTube

  • Joran van der Sloot To Marry This Summer

    Joran van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year sentence for killing a Peruvian woman, and is also the prime suspect in the disappearance of an American teenage girl. While you would think Joran would be worried about his current legal situation, his is more focused on planning his upcoming wedding.

    Joran met his wife-to-be Leydi Carol Figueroa Uceda while she was visiting one of her relatives at the Piedras Gordas prison where Jordan is being held in Peru. “They met when she was visiting a relative in prison. They became friends and spent a lot of time together in his cell,” Maximo Altez, Jordan’s attorney told CNN. “Unlike The United States, here in Peru loved ones or relatives can see inmates inside their jails.”

    Leydi already has one child, a two-year-old son, and is currently 5 months pregnant with Joran’s baby. “He’s very happy about getting married. Since his girlfriend is pregnant, he wants his child to be born to a married couple and he’s anxiously awaiting the day he can get married,” Altez said.

    In 2010, Joran was convicted of murdering Stephany Flores by strangling and beating her. Apparently, Joran was upset because Stephany asked about Joran’s involvement in Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, in which he was arrested twice for but never convicted.

    Joran is scheduled to be released from prison on June 10, 2038; however, Altez said that he may be able to get out considerably early if he maintains good behavior.

    While some believe that Joran is getting married to avoid extradition, Altez says that is not true at all. “He’s getting married because he’s in love and is having a child. There are no hidden agendas,” Altez said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Oregon Prison: Second Inmate Escape In A Week

    The Oregon State Police have been searching for an escaped inmate since Monday. Clinton Swearingen II escaped the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution on Sunday night. This is the second inmate who has escaped from an Oregon detention center in just a week.

    Swearingen was serving prison time for burglary and theft. Authorities found out that he was missing from the facility at 10:30 in the evening.

    Deer Ridge Correctional Institution covers 200 acres of land. It features a minimum-security design that consists of a housing unit as well as operational areas. The institution is made mostly of wood materials and has a minimum-security prison that can accommodate 644 inmates.

    The first incident of an escaped inmate was on Wednesday when Matthew Joseph Medlin, 30, a convicted sex offender, escaped by jumping over the fence of the Columbia River Correctional Institution in Portland. Authorities were wondering why he decided to escape, given that he was scheduled to be released from prison a few days later.

    Police eventually found Medlin at a fast food restaurant. He is now facing additional charges which will likely lead to further prison time.

    Oregon Department of Corrections communications manager, Betty Bernt, said that they are concerned that two inmates escaped in less than a week. They will be reviewing the incidents and said, “All security protocols will be scrutinized.”

    According to officials, Swearingen, who is yet to be found, is a 31-year-old caucasian man, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 140 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. Prison officials believe he may still be wearing his prison garb, which could be red shorts and a blue shirt printed with the word “inmate,” or blue jeans with the word “inmate” printed on the knee area. Authorities have not yet verified whether Swearingen was being held under minimum- or medium-security. He was, however,  set to be released on December 10, 2017.

    Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of Swearingen is asked to contact the Oregon State Police. Call 1.800.452.7888.

    Image via Google Maps

  • Starved Inmate Dies In Kentucky Prison; Medical Staff Investigated

    James Kenneth Embry, an inmate at the Kentucky State Penitentiary, died in January due to starvation. As a result, a prison doctor has been fired, and two other prison personnel are in the process of being dismissed due to their negligence in medical treatment.

    Embry, 57, just had three years left on his prison sentence of nine years for drug charges before he died. According to reports, he began to behave erratically as soon as he stopped taking anti-anxiety medication in 2013. Embry told staff that he felt paranoid and anxious, and resorted to banging his head on the door of his cell. He then stopped eating most of the meals served to him. “I don’t have any hope,” Embry said to the prison psychiatrist.

    By the time he died, he weighed only 138 pounds – 30 pounds shy of his normal weight, which was a cause for concern for his 6-foot frame.

    Based on an internal investigation done in the prison, the medical staff failed to give Embry the medical attention that he needed in order to suppress his suicidal tendencies. They also failed to monitor Embry while his condition continued to worsen.

    Because of the investigation, more issues within the penitentiary were revealed. One of the big problems with the medical staff is their uncaring attitude towards inmates, which includes the failure to check in with inmates during medical rounds. The lack of communication among the medical staff also poses a problem.

    Greg Belzley, an attorney for inmate rights, said that the incident is extremely disturbing. “How do you just watch a man starve to death?” he said.

    The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office is now reviewing the circumstances surrounding Embry’s death. After the investigation, officials will have to decide whether to file complaints against the board supervising the doctors in the penitentiary.

    Embry’s remains were buried near the penitentiary, since he had no friends and family, and no one claimed his body.

    Image via YouTube

  • Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter Dies at 76

    Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a former middleweight boxer best known for having been wrongfully convicted for a shooting murder, passed away at his Toronto home Sunday morning. He was 76.

    Carter had spent almost 20 years in prison after being convicted of a triple homicide that occurred at the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey in 1966. The conviction was overturned in 1985, and from 1993 to 2005, Carter served as executive director of the Association in Defense of the Wrongly Convicted. Carter had also formed the nonprofit organization Innocence International in Toronto, which likewise worked to help free wrongly convicted prisoners. Carter had been battling prostate cancer at the time of his death.

    Carter became a professional boxed in 1961, after serving stints in various institutions for crimes including muggings and for receiving an “undesirable” discharge from the U.S. Army, after failing to complete his three-year term of enlistment. While a bit shorter than the average middleweight fighter at 5 ft. 8 in., in the ring Carter was known for his ferocity, often resulting in early-round knockouts. He was a charismatic crowd-pleaser, and was remembered for his goatee, shaved head, mean mugging and a powerful left hook.

    Bob Dylan wrote a song about Carter in 1975 called Hurricane, and in 1999 director Norman Jewison filmed a biopic entitled The Hurricane, which was Golden Globe-nominated for Best Motion Picture. Denzel Washington played the role of Carter, which garnered him an Oscar nomination.

    Here is the trailer:

    While in prison, Carter penned his autobiography, The 16th Round, which was published in 1974. The book related the events surrounding his 1966 arrest. Holes in the case included little physical evidence and the fact that police took no fingerprints at the crime scene or any paraffin test for gunshot residue. No eyewitnesses pointed to Carter as a shooter. Still, he was convicted in 1967 and 1976 for the murders regardless, though both jury verdicts were overturned on various grounds of prosecutorial misconduct. After the second conviction was overturned in 1985, prosecutors chose not to try the case for a third time.

    Carter is remembered on Twitter:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kevin Trudeau Sentenced to Ten Years

    Kevin Trudeau Sentenced to Ten Years

    Fox News reports that (in)famous TV infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau has been sentenced to ten years in prison for cheating consumers with his book “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About.”

    Trudeau made a career out of setting himself up as someone who was constantly fighting the system. He took on as his foil the ubiquitous “they” that most people are sure must be out there. He claimed to be constantly fighting against authority figures (the Food and Drug Administration, etc.) that did not want you to know about all-natural ways to lose weight, cure diseases, and other reliefs.

    Ironically, Trudeau’s sentence may serve to reinforce the story he has spun, The Man finally caught up to him, threw him in prison to silence him and prevent him from telling the rest of us all the secrets he knows about.

    But U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman did not see Trudeau as a Robin Hood hero, bringing stolen knowledge back to the people. He pointed out that Trudeau has been a huckster for decades, even once using his own mother’s Social Security number in one of his schemes.

    “Since his 20s, he has steadfastly attempted to cheat others for his own gain,” Guzman said.

    Trudeau did not argue with the judge that his “cures” were valid. He did not challenge the judge as one of the “they” trying to keep him down. Instead, he presented himself as a changed man.

    “I have truly had a significant reawakening,” said Trudeau. “If I ever do an infomercial again, I promise: No embellishments, no puffery, no lies.”

    But Judge Guzman was not moved.

    “He has treated federal court orders as if they were mere suggestions … or impediments to be side-stepped, out-maneuvered or just ignored,” Guzman said.

    The sentence followed upon a conviction by jury because Trudeau had defied a court order to not air any more lying claims about his weight loss book. Trudeau had aired his infomercials 32,000 more times since that court order, making another $39 million.

    Image via YouTube

  • Rapper Lil’ Boosie Released From Prison

    Torrance Hatch, more commonly known as Lil Boosie, was released from Louisiana State Penitentiary on Wednesday night. A press conference is scheduled on March 10.

    The schedule for the Baton Rouge rapper’s release was slated for May, but Lil Boose was able to complete his self-help program on Wednesday afternoon, which earned him credits that made him eligible to be released earlier than expected. Not even the rapper knew that he was going to be released from prison that night.

    Lil Boosie, 31, was serving his 8-year sentence on drug charges. He was imprisoned when he pleaded guilty to his third offense of marijuana possession and for smuggling contraband into the Louisiana State Penitentiary and the Dixon Correctional Institute. He also faced a first-degree murder charge for killing Terry Boyd, but was acquitted.

    Shortly after arriving in prison, the rapper was quick to violate rules but eventually came around and started joining rehabilitation programs to better himself. Sources say that he would have gotten out even earlier if he hadn’t violated rules during his stay.

    In the state penitentiary, Lil Boosie was able to complete a religion-based program, a substance abuse program, and was able to get his GED certificate on March 9, 2013. Upon acquiring his certificate, the rapper said that he wished his grandmother were there to witness his achievement.

    After being released from prison, a van took Hatch to the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office where family and friends greeted him and took him home to New Orleans. He must also report to a parole officer on Thursday, as he is freed on the condition of supervised parole, which is said to last until 2018. His parole restrictions are not publicly known yet but will be clear once he has had a meeting with his parole officer.

    There are no other pending charges against Hatch, but he is scheduled to appear in court on March 14 in front of Judge Richard Moore.

    Lil’ Boosie’s Last Days Before Prison (Explicit Language)

    Image via YouTube

  • Army Sex Case: U.S. Army General Could Face Life in Prison

    Brig. Gen. Jeffery A. Sinclair faced military trial Tuesday on charges of sexual assault against an Army captain.

    According to the Los Angeles Times, the now 34-year-old accuser made the allegations against the general in March 2012. She claims that the affair started when she was 29 years old.

    Although the three-year relationship between the two was consensual, she accuses Sinclair of forcing her to partake in oral sex and threatening to harm her family.

    Sinclair, a married man and father of two, denies the captain’s accusations and says the relationship was mutual. He also made it clear that he never made such threats as she claims.

    Defense attorney Richard L. Scheff found that part of the accuser’s testimony surrounding the details of cell phone evidence was unlikely the truth. He’s determined that she may have lied on stand and perjured herself during January’s  trial hearing.

    To Scheff, this gives the Army more of a reason to lessen the charges against the 27-year veteran.(image)

    Still, he emphasizes how much his client will not be able to receive a fair trial due to “unlawful command influence” within the Army and the Obama administration’s intolerance regarding sex offenders.

    The Los Angeles Times reported how:

    “The defense accuses the Army chain of command of pursuing the most serious charges to demonstrate that the military is getting tough on accused sex offenders — even though senior commanders have concluded that Sinclair’s accuser lied.”

    Former prosecutor Lt. Col. William Helixon would probably agree with Scheff’s argument. The lieutenant withdrew from the case in February due to personal feelings towards the charges against Sinclair, who he refers to as “a hero.”

    According to Scheff, Helixon felt that the Army was unethically pushing the case forward, so he is now a witness on the defense team in favor of Sinclair.

    The new prosecutor, Lt. Col. Robert C. Stelle, believes that the accuser’s testimony does conflict with the evidence shown. However, he continues to stand on the fact that the captain is telling the truth about everything else that occurred.

    Furthermore, Sinclair also faces additional charges, which include “adultery, pressuring two other female officers to send him nude photos, possessing alcohol and pornography in a war zone, and abusing his government charge card to pursue liaisons with the captain.”

    The general has pleaded guilty to reduced charges of adultery and misconduct of an officer.

    If convicted he could face life in prison.

    Image via YouTube

  • Supreme Court Considers IQ Of Death Row Inmates

    A person who has an IQ of less than 70 could be considered mentally disabled, but should that protect them from execution over a heinous crime?

    The Supreme Court is taking that argument into consideration with the recent appeal from a Florida death row prisoner, who contends that he is protected from execution due to mental disabilities.

    The case is being argued Monday at the court centers on how authorities determine who is eligible to be put to death, 12 years after the justices prohibited the execution of the mentally disabled.

    Previously, this touchy subject has been mostly left to the states to set the rules for their interpretation of who is mentally disabled. Florida and some other states say that anyone who scores higher than 70 on an IQ test is not mentally disabled, even if there are other circumstances that say they are.

    And what is to keep the inmate from flubbing an IQ test to relieve him/herself of execution?

    The person in question, the Florida death row inmate Freddie Lee Hall, has scored above 70 on most of the IQ tests he has taken since 1968 but says there is sufficient evidence that proves he is mentally disabled.

    A judge in an earlier phase of the case concluded Hall “had been mentally retarded his entire life.” Psychiatrists and other medical professionals who examined him said he is mentally disabled.

    As far back as the 1950s, Hall was considered “mentally retarded”.

    But the crime he committed caused him to be sentenced to death. It was for the murder of Karol Hurst, a 21-year-old pregnant woman, who was abducted leaving a Florida grocery store in 1978.

    Hall was also convicted of killing a sheriff’s deputy and has been imprisoned for the past 35 years. He served a previous prison term for assault with intent to commit rape and was released and on parole when he killed Hurst.

    It is evident that Hall is guilty, and that is not the question posed to the court. Should he be executed if he is legally considered mentally disabled or retarded?

    The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that the state law regarding executions and mental disability has no wiggle room if an inmate tests above 70, however, psychiatrists and others supporting Hall have argued that an IQ test is not always 100 percent accurate and there are other considerations, such as their function in society and mental ability as a youth.

    The Supreme Court has a big decision on their hands.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ionia Prison Escape: Convicted Murder On The Loose

    According to Corrections Director Daniel Heyens, Michael David Elliot was a good prisoner. He didn’t cause trouble, at least he didn’t before his escape from the Ionia Correctional Facility in Michigan over the weekend.

    “”Nothing in this man’s history would have indicated a high risk of escape. He was serving his time.”

    In 1994, Elliot was convicted for his role the 1993 murders of Vickie Currie, her boyfriend Michael Tufnell and his brother Bruce Tufnell, and Kathy Lane. He had been sentenced to five life sentences.

    According to Fox 17, It was discovered that the 40-year-old prisoner had escaped when guards came across a hole in the fence at about 9:30PM on Sunday evening.

    Despite his previous behavior as a prisoner, it seemed that Elliot was now determined to escape from the area any way he could.

    This included taking hostages.

    One woman, whose identity is being withheld, says that Elliot forced his way into her jeep as she sat parked. She said he was armed with a box cutter and hammer. Elliot informed her that he’d just escaped from prison. He then forced her to drive him out of the area.

    The woman said that at no point did he hurt her while she was with him. Still, when one is in the car with an escaped convict who has killed before, fear for one’s life is inevitable. As is a desire to get away from the situation as soon as possible.

    The woman took the opportunity to sneak away to the bathroom when they stopped for gas. She locked herself in a bathroom stall and called 9-1-1.

    After it was clear that the woman would not be cooperating (the dispatcher heard him yell, “Let’s Go” and bang on the door”), Elliot stole her jeep. The vehicle was later found in the residential area of the town of Shipshewana, Indiana.

    As for Elliot, he was last seen getting on Interstate 80/90. It is unknown what direction he was headed and he remains at large.

    Michael David Elliot is described as about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 165 lbs. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

    Anyone with any information on his possible whereabouts is asked to contact Ionia Public Safety at 616-527-4431 or Silent Observer at 616-527-0107.

    Image via FlipMedia

  • Prison for Starving Girl: Parents Sentenced to Five Years

    A father was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for starving his 15-year-old daughter.

    The 42-year-old Wisconsin-native denied his daughter food until she weighed only 68 pounds. She was instead required to consume her on feces and drink her own urine.

    Her stepmother was also found guilty for physical abuse and her stepbrother is still awaiting trial for forcing the girl into sexual activities.

    The unidentified teenage girl managed to run away February 2012 and a passing motorist discovered her walking outside.

    Judge Julie Genovese, overseeing the trial at Dane County Circuit court, learned the details of the young girl’s torment from reading her personalized letters.

    The girl, who was locked away for five years in the basement of the family home, shared how she felt about her unruly treatment:

    “They made me feel like I was dehumanized a lot. It’s all thanks to my stupid dad and stepmom for not giving me an education and keeping me locked up for most of my life and making me feel like I was in a scary spot in my life.”

    The stepmother told the judge that the malnourished girl was punished for her bad behavioral issues. However, the father stated that there was no reason behind the treatment done to his daughter.

    “There was no master plan against my daughter,” the man said during court, according to the Washington Post.

    The father also testified that his daughter had threatened to kill the family and refused to eat. He believed her behavior stemmed from sexual abuse she experienced while living with her stepfather in Texas.

    The Journal Sentinel reported that the father was found guilty for “child neglect, child abuse, reckless endangerment and causing mental harm to a child.”

    The stepmother will also serve five years in prison as the father. The judge believed that because they stole five years from the girl’s life, that they deserved the same.

    Image via Youtube 

  • Phaedra Parks’ Husband Charged in Fraudulent Schemes

    The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star, Phaedra Parks, may literally be married to a partner-in-crime.

    Parks’ husband, Apollo Nida, was charged with bank fraud and identity theft on Thursday Jan. 23. He was questioned by U.S. Marshalls the same day and was summoned to appear before U.S. District Court.

    According to Access Atlanta, U.S. Secret Service agent Alexandre Herrera of the Counterfeit and U.S. Treasury Check Squad reported that Nida stole other people’s identity and private information by developing fake companies. He then “opened fake bank accounts under those real names and funneled stolen U.S. Treasury checks and auto loan proceeds into those accounts.”

    The original criminal, Gayla St. Julien, has been under investigation since February 2012. However, in September, she tied Nida into the crime as well.

    Julien, who refers to herself as “NIDA’s ‘right hand b****’” claimed that the RHOA reality co-star was the mastermind behind the scandals.

    One scheme involved a bankcard for Ferrari Autohaus Inc., which is said to be a fake car dealership. A search warrant by authorities has confirmed this.

    The criminal complaint reported by Access Atlanta details how their partnership worked:

    “Nida would allegedly steal real people’s identities and have St. Julien pretend to be them to open bank accounts. She would then deposit fraudulent auto loan checks, stolen U.S. Treasury checks, stolen retirement checks issued to Delta Airlines employees, and checks in the names of real people that were owed unclaimed property from various state and federal government agencies.”

    It’s no surprise that Nida is in trouble because in 2004 he was sentenced to five years in prison for a similar crime, which involved “breaking federal racketeering laws related to auto title fraud.”

    Nida regularly appears on the reality show along with his wife. They have been together since 2009 and are parents to two sons together.

    Parks is also an attorney herself, a celebrity attorney to be exact.

    A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb 12, 2014.  Maybe Parks will end up representing her ‘hubby’?

    Located below is a HLN interview with Parks and Nida about his time behind bars:

    Image via Youtube

  • Alabama Officials Failed to Protect Prisoners From Sexual Abuse, Says DOJ

    The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) this week released its findings for an investigation into abuses at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama. Officials have officially found that prison officials violated prisoners’ constitutional rights by failing to protect them from sexual abuse by prison staff.

    According to the DOJ, Tutwiler Prison was rife with sexual and physical abuse by employees. The findings show that prisoners were forced by correctional officers to perform sexual acts in exchange for sanitary supplies, that a strip show was arranged by correctional officers, and that male corrections officers routinely watched the prisoners shower and use toilets. In addition, the DOJ found that sex between prisoners was encouraged and that prisoners who reported misconduct were punished.

    “Our investigation has revealed serious systemic operational deficiencies at Tutwiler that have exposed women prisoners to harm and serious risk of harm from staff-on-prisoner sexual abuse and sexual harassment,” said Jocelyn Samuels, acting assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the DOJ. “These problems have been festering for years, and are well known to Alabama prison officials. Remedying these deficiencies is critical to ensuring constitutionally protected treatment of women prisoners at Tutwiler and will promote public safety.”

    While corrections officers were the ones found to be abusing prisoners, the DOJ has now placed blame for neglect directly on Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC). The new findings show that understaffing at prisons led to underreporting of abuse, as did “inadequate policies and porcedures” in place at the time. Officials are also accused of providing inadequate investigative processes for allegations of abuse while also fostering an environment in which a fear of retaliation may have prevented abuses from being reported.

    The DOJ has announced that it will continue to investigate the situation at Tutwiler for any further constitutional violations.

    “The department stands ready to work with the state of Alabama on solving the problems at Tutwiler,” said George Beck, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. “The report has identified a very serious and troubling situation at the facility. Action needs to be taken immediately. I am certain that Commissioner Thomas and the governor’s office will continue to cooperate in eradicating these deplorable conditions.”

    Image via Alabama Department of Corrections

  • Bernard Madoff Suffered Heart Attack

    For the skeptical, Bernard Madoff indeed has a heart. According to CNBC, the 75-year-old was returned to prison last month after having been hospitalized at Duke University Medical Center for a heart attack.

    That’s not the end of the billionaire con artist’s health woes. Madoff is reportedly also at the fourth stage of kidney disease. He is not taking dialysis.

    Madoff is only five years into a 150-year-sentence, given to him over his running of what was determined to be the largest investment fraud scheme in American history. Despite heading a Ponzi scheme that devastated hundreds of people, the convicted Madoff continues to tout a narrative of being a sacrificial lamb.

    Madoff said in an email to CNBC Senior Correspondent, Scott Cohn:

    “From the day of my arrest I offered to assist in recovering the investment principal of my customers…it was my belief that it was more important to use the evidence I had to pressure the complicit parties to settle, rather than to use this information for a lesser prison sentence for myself. As remorseful as I am for the pain and suffering I have shamefully caused, I take some comfort in the fact that my assistance will in fact accomplish what I have originally claimed, that with my assistance all of my customers will recover their original investment principal.”

    Despite his attempts to claim partial credit for efforts to refund money to his victims, it was made clear by court-appointed trustee Irving Picard, responsible for recovering Madoff’s assets and returning them to investors, that Madoff has in fact been no help.

    The payout to his victims ranged from $1,784 to $526.9 million, which suggest that there is hope that the innocent people fooled by this criminal can finally begin to move on.

    As for Madoff, regardless of his failing health, it’s unlikely he will avoid spending the rest of his natural life in prison.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Daniel Villegas: Out On Bail After 19 Years In Prison

    An El Paso, Texas man who had been convicted of double murder and imprisoned for life was freed Tuesday, 19 years after being sent to prison. Witnesses, supporters and family members all maintain that he was wrongly sent to prison.

    Daniel Villegas, 37, has been serving a life sentence for the 1993 driver-by shooting of Armando Lazo, 17, and Robert Englund, 18, since 1995.  At the time, Villegas was a 16-year-old high school dropout.

    His conviction was mainly based on a confession he made at the time. Villegas later recanted, saying he was coerced to confess. According to Villegas, he was told that if he didn’t confess, he would be raped in prison and get the death penalty. There were several discrepancies in the confession that landed Villegas the life sentence. One discrepancy was when he claimed that he was driving a white car at the time of the shooting but the vehicle involved at the shooting was red. There was also no DNA evidence linking him to the crime.

    Witnesses also refuted the claim that Villegas was the one who committed the double homicide. In 2012, Jesse Hernandez, a witness to the killing, said he believes with all his heart that Villegas is innocent. “I always thought I knew who else might have done it from the beginning. I had never heard of Daniel before,” Hernandez told Fox News

    Villegas was released on a $50,000 bond, about an hour after the hearing ended. El Paso District Judge Sam Medrano made the release ruling at about 10:30 a.m. and Villegas was freed at about 11:30 a.m. he was greeted by a jubilant crowd of friends and family. He later went to St. Pius X Catholic Church to pray and celebrate his release.

    Prosecuting attorneys have a week to decide whether or not to dismiss Villegas’ case. Judge Medrano set a hearing for Jan. 21, if prosecutors remain undecided the case will go back to trial.

    Villegas drew support from hundreds of supporters who strongly believe he is innocent. Some supporters include ‘The Innocence Project,’ an organization by Northwest University Law School that advocates justice for youth who have been wrongfully convicted. According to Proclaim Justice Villegas even got support John Mimbela, an activist from El Paso, who donated over $200,000 to help him win back his freedom.

    Image via NDN video

  • Inmates Pathogens: State Prison Exposed To Viruses

    A state prison in west Phoenix, Ariz., could possibly be in danger of blood-borne pathogens, better known as viruses that can be transmitted through body fluids or blood.

    Twenty-four inmates may have been exposed to the pathogens Sunday after a nurse from health care provider; Corizon Health Inc. had improperly injected the insulin.

    HIV and Hepatitis B and C are three of the viruses that have possibly spread across the prison.

    In a study by Oxford Journals titled “Infection Control in Jails and and Prisons,” it states some of the most common ways diseases are transmitted in jails and prisons:

    “The probability of transmission of potentially pathogenic organisms is increased by crowding, delays in medical evaluation and treatment, rationed access to soap, water, and clean laundry, insufficient infection-control expertise, and prohibitions against the use of proven harm-reduction tools, such as condoms and sterile needle exchange. The abrupt transfer of inmates from one location to another further complicates the diagnosis of infection, interruption of transmission, recognition of an outbreak, performance of a contact investigation, and eradication of disease.”

    Following the medical violation, the health care company instantly notified the prison in a written statement.

    “Corizon responded to this incident immediately and has assured the department that it will conduct a full investigation of this matter to ensure any potentially affected inmates are treated,” Ryan told AZ Family.

    This is not the first time the prison has experience a virus-scare.

    According to AZ Family:

    “There was a similar scare at the same prison in August 2012 when inmates were given medication with a potentially contaminated needle.

    A nurse had contaminated an insulin vial while injecting insulin into an inmate who had Hepatitis C. The nurse later used the contaminated vial to give insulin to other inmates, according to state prison records.”

    In this case, Corizon has suspended the nurse while an on-going investigation and treatment of those affected are taking place.

    Corizon has yet to release a public statement on how the violation occurred.

    Image via Youtube, Calmdowncalma