{{short description|US high-security federal prison in Virginia}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox prison | prison_name = United States Penitentiary, Lee | image = 220px | caption = | location = Lee County,<br />near Pennington Gap, Virginia | coordinates = {{Coord|36|42|10.7|N|83|0|5.8|W|display=title,inline}} | status = Operational | classification = High security (with satellite minimum-security prison camp) | population = 1,528 [1,482 at the USP, 46 in prison camp] (September 2023) | opened = 2002 | closed = | managed_by = Federal Bureau of Prisons | warden = }}
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.
USP Lee is located in the Lee County Industrial Park,<ref>"[https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/lee/ 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"</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/DC20BLK/st51_va/county/c51105_lee/DC20BLK_C51105.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Lee County, VA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2024-09-27|page=8 (PDF p. 9/17)|quote=United States Penitentiary Lee}}</ref> an unincorporated area in Lee County, Virginia, 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 {{convert|8|mi|km}} east of Jonesville.<ref>"[http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/lee/index.jsp 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."</ref>
==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.<ref name="Correctional-News">{{cite news|author=Matthew Crawford|title=Obstacle Course|url=http://www.modularconstructionnews.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=E5DF8B2D8B3B4DB6BD2E3E597A568708|publisher=Correctional News|access-date=July 28, 2010|date=October 6, 2005}}</ref>
Architectural and construction work of the {{convert|635097|sqft|m2|adj=on|-1}} facility was administered by Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, now known as AECOM.<ref name="Hopkins-Foodservice-Specialists">{{cite web|title=U.S. Penitentiary & Satellite Camp (Lee County, Virginia)|url=http://www.hopkinsfoodservice.com/justice/correctional-facilities-menu/140-us-penitentiary-and-satellite-camp-federal-bureau-of-prisons-lee-county-virginia|publisher=Hopkins Foodservice Specialists|access-date=July 28, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712215935/http://www.hopkinsfoodservice.com/justice/correctional-facilities-menu/140-us-penitentiary-and-satellite-camp-federal-bureau-of-prisons-lee-county-virginia|archive-date=July 12, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Correctional-News" />
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.<ref name="Correctional-News" />
==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.<ref name="TimesNews-20080226">{{cite news|work=Kingsport Times-News|location=Kingsport, Tennessee|author=Walter Littrell|title=Inmate on the lam from U.S. Penitentiary in Lee County|url=http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005309|access-date=July 28, 2010|date=February 26, 2008|archive-date=March 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308145247/http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005309|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="AMW-20090422">{{cite news|publisher=America's Most Wanted|title=Edward Porta|url=http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=64489|access-date=July 28, 2010|date=April 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417210635/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=64489|archive-date=April 17, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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.<ref name="TriCities-20081002">{{cite news|publisher=TriCities.com|author=Michael Owens|title=Few Details Released In Lee County Federal Prison Death|url=http://www2.tricities.com/news/2008/oct/02/few_details_released_in_lee_county_federal_prison_-ar-250707/|access-date=July 28, 2010|date=October 2, 2008}}</ref><ref name="TimesNews-20100122">{{cite news|publisher=Kingsport Times-News|author=Wes Bunch|title=Lee County prison on lockdown after inmate's death|url=http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9020026|access-date=July 28, 2010|date=January 22, 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref name="SLT-20100430">{{cite news|publisher=The Salt Lake Tribune|author=Melinda Rogers|title=Former Utah gang member killed while serving prison sentence in Virginia|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/49503807-76/prison-hafoka-clerk-lake.html.csp|access-date=July 28, 2010|date=April 30, 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=United States of America v Robert Gbanapolor |url=http://www.vawd.uscourts.gov/OPINIONS/JONES/1-09CR00045.2.PDF |format=PDF |reporter=Vawd.uscourts.gov |access-date=2015-10-15}}</ref><ref>[http://www.timesnews.net/article/9048399/lee-inmate-gets-life-sentence-for-stabbing-fellow-prisoner] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225133202/http://www.timesnews.net/article/9048399/lee-inmate-gets-life-sentence-for-stabbing-fellow-prisoner|date=February 25, 2015}}</ref>
==Notable inmates (current and former)==
===Organized crime=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !width=14%|Inmate Name !width=8%|Register Number !width=21%|Status !width=57%|Details |- | style="text-align:center;"| Genaro García Luna | style="text-align:center;"| [https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/= 59745-177] |Now at ADX Florence serving a 38-year sentence. Scheduled for release in 2052. |Former Mexican Secretary of Public Security under the presidency of Felipe Calderon; arrested in 2019 and convicted in 2023 for accepting millions of dollars' worth of bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for protecting drug shipments coming into the United States. He is the highest-ranking official Mexican official ever to be convicted in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=García Luna: Mexico ex-security minister sentenced to 38 years in US jail |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7v64lnzy02o |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Genaro García Luna fue trasladado a penal de Virginia donde está Benjamín Arellano Félix |url=https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/justicia/2024/12/19/genaro-garcia-luna-fue-trasladado-penal-de-virginia-donde-esta-benjamin-arellano-felix-342427.html |access-date=2024-12-20 |website=www.processo.com.mx |language=es-MX}}</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"| Dandeny Muñoz Mosquera | style="text-align:center;"| [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=37459-053&x=112&y=15 37459-053] |Serving a life sentence and is now at USP Atwater. | Assassin for the now-defunct Medellin Drug Cartel in Colombia; convicted in 1994 of blowing up an Avianca jetliner over Bogota in 1989, killing all 107 people aboard, including two US citizens, in one of the deadliest acts of drug-trade terrorism in history.<ref>McFadden, Robert. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/20/nyregion/drug-trafficker-convicted-of-blowing-up-jetliner.html Drug Trafficker Convicted Of Blowing Up Jetliner]". ''The New York Times''. December 20, 1994. Retrieved on January 3, 2012.</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"| Wilson Pagan | style="text-align:center;"| [https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ 88356-054] |Serving a life sentence at USP Hazelton. |Former leader of the Latin Kings. |- | style="text-align:center;"| Anthony “Harv” Ellison | style="text-align:center;"|[https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ 86282-054] |Serving a 24-year sentence, scheduled for release in 2042. Now at USP Canaan. | Member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, orchestrated the kidnapping and robbery of rapper 6ix9ine in 2018. |- | style="text-align:center;"| Gerardo Castillo-Chavez | style="text-align:center;"| [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=65736-279&x=86&y=27 65736-279] | Now at USP Atwater serving a life sentence. | Hitman for Los Zetas, the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico; convicted in 2012 of racketeering, drug trafficking conspiracy and weapons charges for committing crimes on the cartel's behalf including kidnapping, assault and murder.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.fbi.gov/sanantonio/press-releases/2012/zeta-hitman-gets-life-in-prison |title=Zetas Hitman Gets Life in Prison |publisher=San Antonio Division, FBI |date=October 19, 2012 |access-date=2015-10-15}}</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"| Benjamin Arellano Felix | style="text-align:center;"|[https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ 00678-748] |Transferred to FCI Atlanta Serving a 25-year sentence; scheduled for release 28 April 2032. |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. |}
===Other crimes=== {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !width=14%|Inmate Name !width=8%|Register Number !width=21%|Status !width=57%|Details |- | style="text-align:center;"| Brian Patrick Regan | style="text-align:center;"| [http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ 41051-083] | Now at FCI Terre Haute serving a life sentence. | Former intelligence analyst for the US Air Force charged with attempted espionage and gathering secret information for attempting to sell satellite technology and other classified material to Iraq and China for $13 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/21/us/life-sentence-for-bid-to-sell-secrets-to-iraq.html?ref=brianpatrickregan |title=Life Sentence For Bid to Sell Secrets to Iraq |work=The New York Times |date=2003-03-21 |access-date=2015-10-15}}</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"| Jose Ramirez-Dorantes | style="text-align:center;"| [http://www.bop.gov/Locate/ 23196-298] | Serving a 55-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2057. | Pleaded guilty in 2013 to murdering a federal official in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas, Jr. on July 23, 2009; his accomplices are also serving long sentences.<ref>{{cite web|title=Third Defendant Sentenced in Murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas|url=https://www.fbi.gov/sandiego/press-releases/2013/third-defendant-sentenced-in-murder-of-u.s.-border-patrol-agent-robert-rosas|publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation|access-date=3 May 2014|date=December 19, 2013}}</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"| Mohammed Modin Hasan | style="text-align:center;"| [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=75673-083&x=79&y=19 75673-083] | Serving a life sentence. Currently at USP Yazoo City. | Somali pirate leader; convicted in November 2010 connection with an April 2010 attack on the American warship ''Nicholas'', during which Hasan fired a rocket propelled grenade at what he believed was a merchant ship he and his co-defendants aimed to commandeer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Five Somalis Convicted of Piracy Against USS Nicholas|url=https://www.fbi.gov/norfolk/press-releases/2010/nf112410.htm|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|publisher=US Department of Justice|access-date=16 October 2015|date=November 24, 2010}}</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"| Charles McArther Emmanuel | style="text-align:center;"| 76556-004 |Serving a 97 year sentence, scheduled for release on June 18, 2090 |Son of former president of Liberia Charles Taylor who was convicted on torture charges. |- | style="text-align:center;"| Ken Jenne | style="text-align:center;"| [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=77434-004&x=77&y=11 77434-004] | Released from custody in 2008; served 1 year. | Former Broward County Sheriff; pleaded guilty in 2007 to mail fraud and tax evasion for illegally accepting over $150,000 in improper payments, income and other benefits from Sheriff's Office contractors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2007-11-17-0711160892-story.html |title=Ex-Broward sheriff jailed year and a day|publisher=South Florida Sun Sentinel |date=2007-11-17 |access-date=2015-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2007-12-20-0712190620-story.html |title=Ex-sheriff moved to Virginia prison|publisher=South Florida Sun Sentinel |date=2007-12-20 |access-date=2015-10-15}}</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"| Francisco Martin Duran | style="text-align:center;"| [http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=19588-016 19588-016] | Scheduled for release in 2029. | Attempted to assassinate President Bill Clinton on October 29, 1994, when he fired 29 rounds from an SKS rifle at the White House.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roper |first1=John |title=Duran: 40 years for White House shooting |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/06/29/Duran-40-years-for-White-House-shooting/5474804398400/ |access-date=3 May 2021 |work=UPI |language=en}}</ref> |- | style="text-align:center;"|Eyad Ismoil | style="text-align:center;"|[https://www.bop.gov/mobile/find_inmate/byname.jsp#inmate_results 37802-054] |Serving a 210-year prison sentence; scheduled for release in 2174. Moved to USP Victorville. |One of the men who planned and carried out the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. |- | style="text-align:center;"| Neftaly Platero | style="text-align:center;"| 17666-035 | Serving a life sentence without parole. | Murdered two of his fellow soldiers in 2010 in Fallujah, Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-10-20 |title=Soldier charged with murdering fellow troops in Iraq |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39767089 |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Loh |first=Tim |title=Soldier found guilty of murder in shooting of CT soldier |url=https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Soldier-found-guilty-of-murder-in-shooting-of-CT-3628611.php |access-date=2024-03-15 |work=Connecticut Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-12 |title=Guilty Verdict In Murder Of Stockton Soldier In Iraq - CBS Sacramento |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/soldier-found-guilty-of-murder-in-iraq-shooting-of-stockton-soldier/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> |}
==See also== {{Portal|Virginia|United States|Politics|Law}} * List of United States federal prisons * Federal Bureau of Prisons * Incarceration in the United States
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== * [http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/lee/index.jsp USP Lee] at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Official site)
{{Federal Bureau of Prisons}}
Category:2002 establishments in Virginia Category:Archaeological sites in Virginia Category:Prisons in Virginia Category:Buildings and structures in Lee County, Virginia Lee