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15 unusual facts about United States Penitentiary


Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel

Benny served time in Leavenworth Penitentiary from 1953 to 1957 for tax evasion.

Charles R. Forbes

On December 16, 1927, after the publication of his New York World article, Forbes testified before a grand jury in Kansas City that concerned his statement in the article that alleged narcotics was easily obtained at USP Leavenworth.

He served one year, eight months and six days at the Leavenworth federal penitentiary.

Clayton Fountain

He was sentenced to life imprisonment, and was ultimately sent to the United States Penitentiary, Marion--at the time, the highest-security prison in the nation.

Jail Birds of Paradise

As Miss Deering and her secretary tour the prison there are a series of sight gags that involve various prisoners; among them, registering at Paradise's front desk, are Joe Pantz (Moe Howard), an axe murderer who has transferred from Leavenworth.

Norman Carlson

During his 30 year involvement, he served in the United States Penitentiary of Leavenworth, Kansas, and also in the Federal Correctional Institution of Ashland, Kentucky.

Prison Tycoon 2: Maximum Security

There are three real game locations in Prison Tycoon 2, Angola (Louisiana State Penitentiary), Leavenworth, KS, and Steilacoom, WA (McNeil Island).

Thomas E. Gaddis

Birdman of Alcatraz was the story of Robert Stroud, the grandson of a Federal judge, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in solitary confinement after stabbing a guard to death in Leavenworth Federal prison in Kansas.

Three Smart Saps

The mobster party in prison is decorated with college-sports-style banners for Alcatraz, Joliet, Leavenworth and Sing Sing, all well-known prisons of the day.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials

Mission 6: United States Penitentiary, U.S.A. Leavenworth, Kansas, November 16, 2008, 20:10 (Double Agent, original level)

United States Penitentiary, Florence High

A subsequent investigation found that the riot began when a group of inmates belonging to the Aryan Brotherhood celebrated the birthday of Adolf Hitler, which sparked a dispute with black inmates.

United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth

The prison was extensively described by Pete Earley, the only writer at that time who had ever been granted unlimited access to the prison, in his book, The Hot House.

United States Penitentiary, Lee

He remains a fugitive and has been profiled on the television program America's Most Wanted.

United States Penitentiary, McCreary

On October 15, 2013, WBIR-TV, an NBC affiliate serving southeastern Kentucky, aired a story on how about 350 federal employees, primarily correctional officers, were working without pay during the 2013 federal government shutdown.

Warren T. McCray

After serving three years in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, he was paroled and returned home in 1927.


John DeRoss

As of October 2011, DeRoss is serving his life sentence at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Terre Haute, a maximum security unit in Terre Haute, Illinois.