Federal Detention Center, Houston
The facility, opened in October 1999, has space for 1,118 prisoners and was built for $35 million. The 11 story facility serves people awaiting trial in the Southern District of Texas.
Notable incidents
In March 2008 a fistfight between two inmates grew into a disturbance which resulted in minor injuries for three employees and eight prisoners.
In April 2008, inmate Joel Lopez was indicted for conspiring to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire for plotting to kill US District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa from FDC Houston. Hinojosa had sentenced Lopez to life in prison for a February 2006 drug conviction. The indictment alleged that Lopez approached a fellow inmate, who was affiliated with the Latin Kings street gang and was due to be released shortly, and offered to pay the inmate $2 million to kill Hinojosa and an unidentified woman who owed Lopez a drug debt. Lopez instructed the inmate to contact his wife, Aracely Lopez-Gonzalez, and provided him with her contact information. Lopez thought that Hinojosa's death would help the pending appeal of Lopez's sentence.
Lopez-Gonzalez subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and testified against Lopez, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire. Lopez was sentenced to another life term and is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary, Pollock, a high-security facility in Pollock, Louisiana. Aracely Lopez-Gonzalez is serving a 9-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, a medium-security facility in Danbury, Connecticut.
See also
References
- ^ "FDC Houston". Federal Bureau of Prisons.
- ^ "There is a federal prison in downtown Houston. Who knew?" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. November 2, 2015. Retrieved on February 7, 2016.
- ^ Bosworth, Mary. The U.S. Federal Prison System. SAGE Publications, July 19, 2002. ISBN 0761923047, 9780761923046. p. 235.
- ^ Tedford, Deborah. "Opening of U.S. detention center delivers some much-needed space." Houston Chronicle. October 16, 1999. p. A35 MetFront. NewsBank Record: 3171576. Available from the Houston Public Library, accessible with a library card.
- ^ George, Cindy. "Fistfight started inmate brawl at Houston federal jail" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. Thursday March 13, 2008. Retrieved on February 7, 2016.
- ^ "Inmate's Murder-for-Hire Plot to Kill a Federal Judge and Kidnapping Conspiracy Lead to Life Sentence". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
- ^ "WOMAN INVOLVED WITH INMATE HUSBAND IN KIDNAPING CONSPIRACY AND MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT TO KILL A FEDERAL JUDGE SENTENCED". US Department of Justice. October 16, 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "Inmate Locator - Aracely Lopez-Gonzalez". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
External links
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