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☆ Poem: Ladies of the Sarasota Sewer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jackie Wang | Anne Boyer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ladies of the Sarasota SewerBy Jackie Wangin those dayswe ate garbage for every meali dove in the dumpsters withthe atlanta boysgot chubby on a bucketof expired breakfast barsfine dining was stealingcontinental breakfastat all the nearby hotelsfilching lukewarm dannonyogurts and bananasfrom the mediocre spreadonly once we were caughtthey gave us a billwe had no moneyi said i would go hometo try to get some moneyand when i leftthey let you go without payingthinking i had left you in the lurchall the love i see is gonewe lived on fumesthe adrenalin of ourbreaking bonesAnne Boyer is a poet and an essayist. Her memoir about cancer and care, “The Undying,” won a 2020 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. Jackie Wang is a poet, a scholar, a multimedia artist and an assistant professor of American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California, where she researches race, surveillance technology and the political economy of prisons and police. She is the author of “Carceral Capitalism” (Semiotext(e), 2018), the poetry collection “The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us From the Void” (Nightboat Books, 2021), which was a National Book Award finalist, and the forthcoming experimental essay collection “Alien Daughters Walk Into the Sun” (Semiotext(e), 2023).

☆ Jen Shah and Elizabeth Holmes, both convicted of fraud, can take business skills classes at the Texas prison where they'll serve their sentences
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elizabeth Holmes will be staying at the same prison camp as Real Housewives star Jen ShahThe Texas women's prison offers business skill classes to all inmates. Both Holmes and Shah have been convicted of fraud relating to their business practices. Elizabeth Holmes is set to begin her 11-year sentence for fraud related to her failed blood-testing business at a prison camp in Texas that, ironically, offers business classes to inmates, according to an inmate orientation handbook. Holmes was convicted in November 2022 of three charges of wire fraud and one conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge after a jury found she defrauded investors in her health tech company Theranos. It's not all bad though: the prison offers wellness classes, arts and crafts, and leisure programs.

☆ It's official — Elizabeth Holmes has been ordered to report to prison on May 30 to begin her 11-year sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elizabeth Holmes is now scheduled to report to prison May 30 to begin serving her 11-year sentence. The disgraced Theranos founder must head to prison on May 30 to begin serving her more than 11-year sentence, a judge ordered Wednesday. She was originally scheduled to report to prison on April 27 but was able to delay the start of her sentence. The judge in her case, Judge Edward J. Davila, signed off on the requested date, ordering that Holmes report to prison no later than 2 p.m. on May 30. Besides their prison sentences, Holmes and Balwani have also been ordered to pay $452 million in restitution to victims of their fraud and conspiracy at Theranos.

☆ How El Chapo’s sons built a fentanyl empire poisoning America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Headed by Iván, El Chapo’s oldest son, the siblings have emerged as key figures in the Sinaloa Cartel, U.S. and Mexican anti-narcotics officials said. But he was killed in 2008 in Culiacán in a hail of bullets amid infighting between warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency in April placed Iván on the list of its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, joining Jesús Alfredo and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a Sinaloa Cartel legend and El Chapo’s alleged former business partner. They also kidnapped eight soldiers and surrounded military housing where wives and children of Mexican soldiers lived, Mexican officials said. Despite that blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, fentanyl keeps flowing north.

☆ Short on Staff, Prisons Enlist Teachers and Case Managers as Guards
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From the outside, the prison complex in Florence, Colo., is a forbidding citadel of steel, concrete and coiled barbed wire, housing some of the most notorious inmates in federal custody. To hundreds of its employees, it is a stressful, isolated, short-staffed workplace. Like many other federal prisons, Florence is undergoing a staffing crisis, with head counts on some guard shifts so low that teachers, case managers, counselors, facilities workers and even secretaries at the complex have been enlisted to serve as corrections officers, despite having only basic security training. “It creates a safety issue: If you aren’t savvy with the housing unit, or the position you’re working, you are not going to spot a problem before it starts. Nowhere has that been more of a problem than at the chronically troubled Bureau of Prisons, with about 160,000 inmates at 122 prisons and camps — employing a work force of about 34,000 people who often earn less than state and county corrections workers.

CNN —A once powerful member of the former Sudanese government wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been freed from prison in the capital Khartoum. Prisoners of Kober prison were released by authorities after inmates protested the lack of food and water by burning two cars inside the prison grounds, two Sudanese police sources told CNN. Unconfirmed reports claimed the former President al-Bashir was among the prisoners released from Kober prison. Sudan’s then-President, Omar al-Bashir, was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by the ICC, including genocide, related to the Darfur conflict in 2009. He was ousted in a military coup in April 2019 following a lengthy popular uprising and jailed in Khartoum.

☆ DeSantis threatened to put a prison next to Disney, but it may not be as scary an idea as he thinks — and in fact small Florida towns could probably use it way more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But it's unclear how much, if at all, a prison would actually impact Disney. A prison could also bring jobs to small towns that don't have a local employer as large as Disney. Ron DeSantis's threat to put a state prison next to the "Happiest Place on Earth" may not be as menacing as he thinks. But it's unclear how much a state prison close to Disney would actually impact the resort and theme park. As for how a prison could impact Disney World, she speculated that the primary factor would be how it impacts the company's brand and tourists' perception of safety.

CNN —Disgraced R&B singer and convicted sex trafficker R. Kelly has been transferred to a federal prison in North Carolina. R. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was moved to FCI Butner Medium I, a “medium security federal correctional institution,” according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. The Butner complex sits north of the Raleigh-Durham area and includes two medium security facilities, a low-security facility and a medical facility. He was already serving a 30-year sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking charges after being convicted in New York in September 2021. “Numerous seated jurors were either familiar with accusations that Defendant had a history of sexually abusing underage girls, had previously faced legal problems, and/or had seen the highly unflattering docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, in which several government witnesses had appeared,” a brief filed last Wednesday said.

☆ WrestleMania apologizes for using footage of Auschwitz in promotional spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —World Wrestling Entertainment apologized Friday after using footage of Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration and extermination camp, in a promotional spot for a hyped father-son match. The promotional video for WrestleMania 39 featured WWE wrestler Dominik Mysterio, who has an ongoing rivalry with his father, Rey Mysterio, and was “arrested” in December for pushing him. The ad then cuts to photos of prisons, one of which was Auschwitz, where Nazis murdered over 1 million people. In later airings and reruns of the first night of WrestleMania, the footage showed an image of barbed wire. In this father-son rivalry, Dominik eventually turned on Rey, culminating in an altercation on Christmas Eve.

☆ Fact Check-‘QAnon Shaman’ was not freed early due to footage proving Jan. 6 riot was ‘hoax’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jacob Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli or the “QAnon Shaman”, is due to be released early from prison in the U.S. due to a combination of factors including good behavior, according to his attorney. Posts online, however, are saying he was released early due to footage of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol showing he was wrongly sentenced or that the event itself was a hoax. Chansley was not released as a result of the video footage released through Tucker Carlson.”In February 2023, TV host Tucker Carlson said he’d been given access to thousands of hours of video footage from the Capitol riot (here). Reuters has debunked multiple other claims alleging the Capitol storming was a hoax (here), (here) and (here). Jacob Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli or “QAnon Shaman”, was not released from prison early because of Jan 6.

☆ US rule to allow some inmates to stay home after COVID emergency lifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), which is operated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, is pictured, as the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2020. The regulations are expected to provide some relief to inmates, who feared they could potentially be hauled back into prison when the public health emergency expires on May 11. Criminal justice and civil rights groups have lobbied the Justice Department and the White House to change those rules to prevent inmates from being returned to prison en masse. The BOP will still be able to impose "proportional and escalating sanctions," including a return to prison, on inmates who commit infractions. Of those, the department said only a fraction of one percent were returned to prison due to new criminal conduct.

☆ The QAnon Shaman's new roommates after he got out of jail had no idea who he was, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jacob Chansley, a January 6 rioter known as the "QAnon Shaman," has been released from prison early. Chansley is carrying out the rest of his prison sentence in a halfway house in Arizona. His new roommates told The New York Post on Sunday they had no idea who he was. A prison spokesperson told Insider's Natalie Musumeci that he was transferred from Arizona's Federal Correctional Institution Safford to "community confinement" overseen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Phoenix Residential Reentry Management Office last week. Chansley's projected release date from any kind of federal custody is May 25, the spokesperson added.

☆ 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley was released early from prison, and a former prosecutor said it's totally normal to have sentences reduced
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

January 6 rioter Jacob Chansley, known as the "QAnon Shaman," has been released from prison early. Chansley was moved to a halfway house in Arizona, his trial lawyer told Insider. Chansley was let out of prison after serving 27 months of his 41-month sentence. Chansley's projected release date from any kind of federal custody is May 25, the Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said. Former New York prosecutor Mark Bederow told Insider that it is "common" for federal inmates to get their sentences lessened under the First Step Act, which was passed in 2018.

An Insider review found that his company has sold to foreign governments, including a $228 million dollar contract. What Mills didn't advertise was Pacem's munitions contracts with foreign governments. The company's chief legal officer Joseph Schmitz said all of Pacem's foreign munitions sales are approved by the Department of State. Mills's influence over American military spending while having ties to a munitions company poses the potential for conflicts of interest, an ethics watchdog said. In Congress, Mills sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, which oversee military spending and foreign weapons sales.

☆ The Justice Department investigated Jeffrey Epstein's death. Then it went silent.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Jeffrey Epstein's death in a federal jail was seen as a shocking Justice Department failure. But more than three years later, the office still hasn't released its report into the circumstances of Epstein's death. "We all took it by surprise," Mark Epstein told Insider. Barr tasked the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, and the FBI with investigating "the circumstances of Mr. Epstein's death." Mark Epstein told Insider that he spoke to his brother about once a month in the years before his death.

☆ Convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes welcomes second child and she's pushing to delay prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Holmes was sentenced to over 11 years in prison while pregnant with second child in November. In a court filing this week, her legal team said Holmes has "two young children," according to Mercury News. Holmes is seeking to extend her freedom past the day she's due to prison in April. Holmes gave birth to her first child in July 2021 while awaiting trial for her charges. The company's valuation shot up to $9 billion before Holmes and fellow Theranos executives were charged with fraud in 2018.

☆ U.S. African American studies does not include material targeted by Florida governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - An African American studies course for U.S. high school students that was released on Wednesday does not include material that Florida's conservative governor said pushed a liberal agenda, the latest development in a fierce debate about politics, education and censorship. Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, was among scholars who praised the curriculum in the College Board statement. On Tuesday, more than 200 African American studies faculty members from dozens of universities published an open letter defending the course and expressing their "outrage at the efforts of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to delegitimize the AP's pilot curriculum in African American Studies." "We categorically reject DeSantis's autocratic claim to knowing what college-level material should be available in an AP African American Studies course." DeSantis and other Florida officials accused the lessons of being "indoctrination" for including Black queer studies, Black Lives Matter, reparations, and the abolishment of prisons.

Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the reality TV franchise "Chrisley Knows Best," reported to federal facilities Tuesday to begin their years-long prison sentences after their fraud convictions, officials said. Todd Chrisley surrendered to the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Pensacola in Florida, while Julie Chrisley arrived at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington in Kentucky, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years, wife Julie Chrisley got 7 years. The downfall of Todd and Julie Chrisley came at about the same time as "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah faced federal prosecution before she pleaded guilty to wire fraud. "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" is on Bravo, which is also an NBCUniversal property.

"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah has been ordered to participate in a mental health treatment program, as part of her probation, following her prison release. Jen Shah on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Shah has said she suffered from depression and was on antidepressant medication during episodes of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City." It noted her work with a mental health organization that works within the Polynesian community. "Given her own background, Jen feels deeply empathetic toward anyone marginalized, fearing rejection, and struggling with mental health issues," the memorandum said.

☆ Philadelphia woman jailed for nearly a week after being wrongfully arrested in mistaken identity case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Following her arrest, Hudson's family contacted law enforcement in both Texas and Philadelphia in a bid to clear her name. The Harris County District Attorney's Office in Texas said that after learning about what happened it dismissed the case "within five minutes," citing insufficient evidence. “We accept charges based on the sworn evidence presented to us by law enforcement,” a spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office wrote in a statement to NBC Philadelphia. In a statement Thursday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner apologized for Hudson's ordeal. “The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office became aware of Julie Hudson’s predicament last evening, thanks in part to media reports out of Houston and in Philly,” Krasner wrote.

☆ 'Deadly' double agent Ana Montes who was a US spy for communist Cuba freed from prison after 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ana Montes, seen as "one of the most damaging spies" in US history, has been released from prison. When she was working a clerical job at the Department of Justice, Cuban authorities identified her as someone who would be sympathetic to their cause. She was able to pass highly sensitive information over to Cuban authorities through memory alone. "She compromised everything — virtually everything — that we knew about Cuba and how we operated in Cuba and against Cuba," Van Cleave said. Chris Simmons, a former investigator with the DIA, described Montes as "a very deadly woman, a very dangerous woman," NBC reported.

☆ Cuba spy Ana Belen Montes released after 20 years behind bars
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - Ana Belen Montes, one of the highest-ranking U.S. officials ever proven to have spied for Cuba, has been released from prison early, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed Friday, after she spent more than two decades behind bars. A U.S. citizen of Puerto Rican descent, Montes began working for the DIA in 1985 and rapidly climbed its ranks to become the agency's top Cuba analyst. She was accused of supplying the identity of four U.S. spies to Cuba, as well as other classified information. Montes was arrested on Sept. 21, 2001, shortly before the United States invaded Afghanistan. At her sentencing a year later, Montes argued that she had obeyed her conscience and that U.S. policy to Cuba was cruel and unfair.

There’s no parole in the federal prison system and good behavior credits are in short supply compared to most states. More likely, Shah would be told a date, at least a month out, to surrender herself at a federal facility. Her best hope would be to be deemed most appropriate for a minimum security camp. “A minimum-security camp, I mean even moving up to next level, which is still ‘low security’ that’s a huge difference. If you’re eligible for a camp, you’ll go to Alaska if you can go to a camp.” Share this -Link copied

☆ 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli advises Sam Bankman-Fried on potential prison time, saying he should prepare by listening to rap music and shaving his head
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Disgraced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested and faces eight criminal charges. Martin Shkreli, released from prison in May, advised him on preparing for potential prison time. He told the podcast "Unchained" that Bankman-Fried should shave his head and listen to rap music. Bankman-Fried's charges include wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering. In 2017, he was found guilty of securities fraud and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

☆ She gave birth, twice, in prison. We were there to witness the reunion with her kids.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Jamie Roth | Alan Chin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

As she left prison, still wearing her prison-issue sweatsuit, the photographer Alan Chin raced to catch the reunion at the San Antonio airport. Alan Chin for InsiderWhat made this reunion even more poignant was that Kelly had been let out once before. Alan Chin for InsiderThere is no reliable count of the number of babies born behind bars each year. Alan Chin for InsiderWhen Kelly returned to prison after her year out, Rick tried to stay in close touch. Alan Chin for Insider"It was just us: me and my kids, and him.

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