Kentucky Police Capture Gentleman Who Escaped From Georgia Prison 37 Years Ago

Billy Burchfield was serving a 16-year sentence for manslaughter when he escaped 37 years ago and had been on the run ever since.

[From article]

A man who escaped from prison in 1979 and eluded authorities for nearly four decades has been arrested in eastern Kentucky, police say.
Billy Burchfield was serving a 16-year sentence for manslaughter in a Georgia jail when he broke out 37 years ago - and he has been on the run from the law ever since.
Police say the 67-year-old stole the identity of his cousin Harold Arnold after he died and was living under that alias when the cops finally caught up with him.
Laurel County Police say they were able to track down Burchfield after receiving a tip from law enforcement in Jackson County, Georgia that he was living as Arnold in the area.
Detectives went to a house in Laurel County on Wednesday night and spoke with the occupant who denied any knowledge of Burchfield.
But after he submitted for fingerprinting, Kentucky State Police fingerprint technicians and the FBI were able to determine that he was a match for Burchfield.
Gilbert Acciardo, spokesman for Laurel County Police Department, said Burchfield had lived without incident in the county since fleeing jail.
'Probably somebody like that is going to fly under the radar,' Acciardo said. 'You (would) have to keep your nose extremely clean and apparently that's what he's done.'
When he was approached by police on Wednesday night, he denied he was a fugitive and continued to deny it after being fingerprinted, Acciardo said.
'He's saying he's not that person,' Acciardo said.
No one answered the phone Thursday at a phone number listed at the London, Kentucky, address where Burchfield was living as Harold Arnold.
Burchfield is being held in Kentucky as a fugitive until he is extradited back to Georgia, Acciardo said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3645283/Police-Man-escaped-prison-1979-Kentucky.html

Convict 'who escaped from jail and spent the next FOUR DECADES on the run using the alias of his dead cousin' is finally caught
Billy Burchfield was serving 16 years for manslaughter in Georgia in 1970s
But the 67-year-old escaped in 1970 and has been on the run ever since
Police finally caught up with him in Kentucky after receiving a tip off
Burchfield was living under his dead cousin's identity, according to police
Denied he was an escaped convict but his fingerprints matched Burchfield
By HANNAH PARRY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:57 EST, 16 June 2016 | UPDATED: 19:44 EST, 16 June 2016

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Denied Sleep Seeks Transfer to U.S. Prison

EL Chapo wants to be extradited to the United States as soon as possible because guards at a Mexican maximum-security prison won't let him sleep, his lawyer has said.

Police in Cambridge, MA take turns with criminals disturbing my sleep every one or two hours every day. Do Cambridge psychopaths think I am the son of El Chapo? Are they prison guards masquerading as lawyers, police and psychologists? 

[From article]
EL Chapo wants to be extradited to the United States as soon as possible because guards at a Mexican maximum-security prison won't let him sleep, his lawyer has said.
Lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez said the cartel leader, whose real name is Joaquin Guzman, told him to negotiate with U.S. authorities for a lighter sentence and confinement at a medium-security prison.
[. . .]
But Rodriguez suggested it could be done in two months, presumably if Guzman dropped an estimated nine appeals his lawyers have filed.
However, Rodriguez said 'we won't drop the (legal) defense in Mexico until we have an agreement with the United States.'
Officials have acknowledged that guards at the Altilplano prison wake Guzman every four hours for a head count. He escaped the same prison in July and was recaptured in January.
The harsher regime — Guzman also has fewer visits than during his last stint in prison — seems to have broken him.
'I saw a defeated, humiliated man,' Rodriguez said

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3473057/Lawyer-Mexican-Drug-lord-changes-mind-wants-extradition.html

El Chapo's lawyer says the drug lord has changed his mind and wants extradition to the US as soon as possible because Mexican prison guards won't let him sleep
Jose Refugio Rodriguez said client wanted him to negotiate with the U.S.
The cartel leader wants a lighter sentence in a medium-security prison
Rodriguez said El Chapo has 'reached his limit' and is getting desperate
Mexican officials have suggested extradition process could take a year
But Rodriguez said it could take two months, if El Chapo dropped the nine appeals he has filed to judges
Guards in Altilplano prison wake him up every four hours for a head count
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Daily Mail (UK)
PUBLISHED: 11:03 EST, 2 March 2016 | UPDATED: 20:03 EST, 2 March 2016

New York City Prison Guard Charged With Trading Pot For Sex, Rape

Nicole Bartley

Photo: Reuters
[From article]
The nearly 70 gram package was confiscated, and Bartley was collared on charges of rape in the third degree, sexual misconduct, official misconduct, promoting prison contraband, and criminal possession of marijuana in the fourth degree, authorities said.
“Such corrupt and indecent actions contribute to the troubling conditions on Rikers Island, and undermine safety and security there,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement.
Bartley, who has worked at Rikers since May 2014, faces up to four years in prison on the top charge.
The New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters said her arrest marks the 26th Corrections employee nabbed since the DOI began probing corruption at Rikers in 2014.

http://nypost.com/2016/02/07/rikers-guard-accused-of-exchanging-drugs-for-sex-with-inmate/

Rikers guard accused of exchanging drugs for sex with inmate
By Emily Saul
New York Post
February 7, 2016 | 4:15pm

Updated: Teacher Arrested, Suspected of Aiding Three Gentlemen Who Escaped From California Prison

Posted January 25, 2016 8:11 PM ET; Last updated January 28, 2016 9:12 PM ET


Nooshafarian Ravaghi, Suspected of Aiding Escape

[From article]
A woman who taught English classes at a Southern California jail was arrested Thursday on suspicion of helping three inmates — including an alleged killer — escape the lockup, and the men are believed to be riding around in a stolen van.
Nooshafarian Ravaghi, 44, of Lake Forest, was arrested nearly a week after the men — one an alleged killer — cut their way through steel bars, climbed through plumbing tunnels, made their way to the roof, cut razor wire and, using rope made of braided bedsheets, rappelled four stories to freedom from the roof of the Orange County Central Men’s Jail.
[. . .]
Ravaghi worked for the Rancho Santiago Community College District and taught English as a second language to inmates at the jail for about six months, sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said.
One of her students was Hossein Nayeri, who was awaiting trial on charges that he kidnapped and tortured a marijuana dispensary owner — finally cutting off his penis — in a bid to learn where he might have cached money.
“There was some type of relationship that developed between the two” that was close, Hallock said, but he didn’t know whether it was a romance.
[. . .]
Ravaghi denied supplied any tools to the inmates, but investigators suspect she provided Google maps that potentially could have helped the inmates plan their route after fleeing the jail, Hallock said.
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has said that Nayeri, 37, is believed to be the mastermind of the escape.

http://nypost.com/2016/01/28/teacher-accused-of-helping-inmates-escape-california-jail/

Teacher accused of helping inmates escape California jail
By Associated Press
New York Post
January 28, 2016 | 8:07pm

* * *


Wanted: Southern California authorities launched a frantic manhunt Saturday after inmates (left to right) Jonathan Thieu, Hossein Nayeri and Bac Duong escaped from jail.

[From article]
The last time the inmates were seen was at 5 a.m. Friday at the Orange County Men’s Jail in Santa Ana, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles. They could have made the escape any time between then and late Friday night, according to authorities.
"The inmates cut through half-inch steel bars to facilitate their escape," Hallock said.
The men, last seen wearing orange jumpsuits, also had to cut through plumbing tunnels and finally made it to an unguarded area of the roof where they rappelled down to the ground by way of a makeshift rope, Hallock said.
[. . .]
The inmates on the run include Jonathan Tieu, 20, who had been held on $1 million bail since October 20 on charges of murder, attempted murder and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. His case is believed to be gang-related.
Hossein Nayeri, 37, had been held without bond since September 2014 on charges of kidnapping, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary. Nayeri and three other men were accused of kidnapping a California marijuana dispensary owner in 2012. They drove the dispensary owner to a desert spot where they believed he had hidden money and then cut off his penis, authorities said.
After the crime, Nayeri fled the U.S. to his native Iran, where he remained for several months. He was arrested in Prague in November 2014 while changing flights from Iran to Spain to visit family.
The third inmate who escaped with Tieu and Nayeri was Bac Duong. The 43-year-old man was being held without bond since last month on charges of murder, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm and other charges.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/24/manhunt-underway-for-three-inmates-who-escaped-southern-california-jail.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fmost-popular+%28Internal+-+Most+Popular+Content%29

Manhunt underway for three inmates who escaped Southern California jail
Published January 24, 2016

FoxNews.com

* * *

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3413506/3-inmates-held-violent-crimes-escape-California-jail.html

Frantic manhunt under way for three inmates held on murder, kidnap and torture charges who ESCAPED from California jail
The inmates were last seen at 5am Friday at the Orange County Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles
They could have escaped anytime between then and late Friday night, an Orange County Sheriff's Department said
The inmates are 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri, and 43-year-old Bac Duong
Tieu is charged with murder, attempted murder and shooting
Nayeri is charged with kidnapping, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary
Duong faces charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at an inhabited dwelling
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Daily Mail (UK)
PUBLISHED: 13:09 EST, 23 January 2016 | UPDATED: 08:11 EST, 24 January 2016

Harvard University Alumnus, Convicted Mass Killer, Ted Kaczynski, Indicates He Maintains His Views on Technolgy

[From article]

In handwritten letters to hundreds of supporters and curiosity seekers, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski expressed shock over the 9/11 attacks and wrote that he preferred Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential race.
Kaczynski also wrote to pen pals from federal prison in Colorado asking for more information about Osama bin Laden and the origins of al Qaeda, and has relied on others to inform him about the rise of the Internet and social media.
[. . .]
In 2010, Kaczynski engaged in a long back-and-forth with students at Huntingdon College in Alabama about the power of Facebook and how public figures like WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange and the late conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart used the Internet to gain influence. But he admitted he didn’t know what YouTube was or what it meant to go “viral.”
The papers reveal that Kaczynski remains strongly opposed to technology. Yahoo News reports that he is not allowed access to the Internet, but he still solicits email addresses from letter writers to share with others as part of his efforts to create an anti-technology movement.
The letters also show he fell in love with one of his early pen pals, Joy Richards, and they suggest Kaczynski and Richards explored the idea of getting married. Richards died of cancer in late 2006, and Yahoo reports that some of the most anguished letters in the collection deal with the pain Kaczynski felt over her illness.

http://nypost.com/2016/01/25/unabombers-letters-show-he-hasnt-changed-much-behind-bars/
Unabomber’s letters show he hasn’t changed much behind bars

New York Post
By Associated Press
January 25, 2016 | 9:45am

* * *

[From article]
He said the entries are written by the alumni, and rather than making Harvard look bad, the entry makes Kaczynski look bad for writing it.
Kaczynski evaded the FBI for nearly 20 years while killing three people and injuring 23 others with bombs sent through the US mail.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/05/23/harvard-alumni-directory-contains-bizarre-entry-for-ted-kaczynski-the-unabomber/c0BFPYTlF48lDqdoU7ZnMK/story.html

Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, lists himself in Harvard 1962 alumni report; says ‘awards’ include eight life sentences
By Alli Knothe
Globe Correspondent | 05.23.12 | 3:54 PM

White House Continues To Give Away The Store To Iran

[From article]
The deal led to the release of four Americans being held in Iran: Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian as well as Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, the official said.
While an official confirmed Obama issued seven grants of clemency in the deal with the Iranians, spokespeople at the Justice Department and the White House did not immediately release the names of those spared in the U.S. legal system.
However, Iran’s Fars news agency released seven names, which correspond with U.S. court records on pending or recent cases.
Obama appeared to have granted rare, pre-trial pardons to three men awaiting trial in Houston for violating U.S. export laws by shipping high-tech equipment to Iran: Bahram Mechanic and Tooraj Faridi of Houston and Khosrow Afghahi of Los Angeles.
On Saturday, prosecutors moved to drop charges against Matin Sadeghi, a fugitive in the same case who was being sought in a wanted poster available on the FBI website. A court filing said the move was undertaken “based on significant foreign policy interests of the United States.” Until Saturday, Obama had never granted a pre-trial pardon to anyone, nor had his predecessor, President George W. Bush.

[. . .]

Three people already serving prison time appeared to have had their sentences cut short through the president's commutation power Saturday: Arash Ghahreman of New York, serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for planning to send fiber optic gyroscopes and electron tube to Iran and due for release in 2020; Nader Modanlo of Potomac, Md., serving an eight-year sentence for providing satellite services to Iran and due for release in 2021 and Ali Saboonchi of Parkville, Md., serving a two-year sentence for providing high-tech industrial parts to Iran and due for release in November of this year.
Prosecutors in San Diego also moved Saturday to dismiss charges against another individual charged in the same case as Ghahreman, Koorush Taherkhani, as well as a company, TIG Marine Engineering Services. Prosecutors called Taherkhani and the company “fugitives.”
[. . .]

"The United States also removed any Interpol red notices and dismissed any charges against 14 Iranians for whom it was assessed that extradition requests were unlikely to be successful," the official said.
A hacker who admitted to breaking into the computers of a Vermont-based engineering firm also was on the list of those winning clemency from Obama in the Iran deal. Nima Golestaneh was extradited from Turkey to the United States in February to face the charges in federal court in Burlington, Vt.
Just last month, Golestaneh pled guilty to wire fraud and unauthorized access to computers. He was awaiting sentencing next month. Now, that sentencing will apparently not take place, but as of mid-afternoon Saturday there was no indication in the court’s docket of any action by Obama or the Justice Department.

[. . .]

And in 2010, the U.S. and Russia brokered a prisoner swap that led to 10 people charged with acting as agents for Russia being given unusually short sentences of "time served." They were immediately flown to Vienna and exchanged for four people being held in Russian jails.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2016/01/iran-deal-obama-grants-clemency-to-seven-217879

Obama grants clemency to seven in Iran deal
By Josh Gerstein
01/16/16 03:38 PM EST

Michigan Muslim Prisoners Sue Pamela Geller For Wearing A Swimsuit

Pamela Geller

[From article]
Pamela Geller has been sued by at least one, and perhaps two, Muslim prisoners in Michigan. And while Geller is no stranger to lawsuits (frequently challenging her First Amendment rights), this one’s a real doozie. Here’s the gist, as reported at Breitbart:
Muslim prisoners in Michigan filed a lawsuit against Pamela Geller for “wearing a Poke a Dot Bikini In Front of our eyes. We are offended.” They demanded their freedom claiming their civil rights were violated….

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/12/incarcerated_muslims_sue_pamela_geller_for_wearing_a_bikini.html

December 28, 2015
Incarcerated Muslims sue Pamela Geller for wearing a bikini
By Carol Brown

MIT Dean and Son To Serve Prison Time For Bernie Madoff Scam

Gabriel Bitran, 70

[From article]

A former Massachusetts Institute of Technology associate dean and his son have been sentenced to prison for a hedge fund scam that cost investors over $140 million.



Federal prosecutors say 70-year-old Gabriel Bitran and 40-year-old Marco Bitran were sentenced Monday to 45 months in prison and over $11 million in restitution.


MIT Dome

The two pleaded guilty to securities fraud, wire fraud and obstruction of justice last year in connection with their hedge fund businesses, GMB Capital Management and GMB Capital Partners.
Prosecutors say the men claimed they could produce annual returns of 16 to 23 percent based on the elder Bitran's investment theories.


Bernie Madoff

But authorities say some of the $500 million invested with them was put into Bernard Madoff-connected funds.

http://www.wcvb.com/news/former-mit-dean-son-to-serve-prison-time-for-hedge-fund-scam/37001724

Former MIT dean, son to serve prison time for hedge fund scam
Gabriel Bitran, 70, and Marco Bitran, 40, sentenced Monday to 45 months in prison
UPDATED 9:36 PM EST Dec 16, 2015

Three CA Guards Charged With Murder of Prison Inmate, Who Refused To Take Psychiatric Drugs

Michael James Tyree, 31, was allegedly beaten to death by three guards at a San Jose jail.

One more abuse of the psychiatric industry. Prison guards forcing drugs into inmates without consent. They were motivated by the misguided notion of doing good, i.e., that psychiatrists ordered it.

[From article]
About 50 people marched Friday in protest at Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose, California, to demand inmates be protected from abuse after an inmate was beaten to death last week under the watch of three deputies now facing possible murder charges
Three California correctional deputies were arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of an inmate at a county jail, sheriff's officials said Thursday.
Santa Clara County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. James Jensen said the deputies were in custody in connection with a death that happened late last week.
The San Jose Mercury News identified the correctional officers as Matthew Farris, 27, Jereh Lubrin, 28, and Rafael Rodriguez, 27.



Facing murder charges: Correctional deputy Matthew Farris, arrested following the death of a male inmate in San Jose.


 
Facing murder charges: Correctional deputy Jereh Lubrin arrested following the death of a male inmate in San Jose.



Facing murder charges: Correctional deputy Rafael Rodriguez, arrested following the death of a male inmate in San Jose.

The officers were being held in custody without bail.
The maximum-security inmate - identified as 31-year-old Michael James Tyree - died in his sixth-story cell after a routine check-in around midnight August 27.
He had recently pleaded no contest to petty theft, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
[. . .]
There are reports that the confrontation involved Tyree's refusal to take medication.
The Mercury News reported that he suffered major internal bleeding.
NBC Bay Area quoted a source claiming Tyree suffered wounds consistent with a blunt force beating.
Blunt force can be caused by an object or a hand or foot.
There were also reported of lacerations to his liver and spleen.
[. . .]
Tyree suffered from mental illness and had been arrested several times before, including possession of methamphetamine while loitering outside a church one year ago, KGO TV reported.
The three officers that were arrested have all worked at the jail less than three years.
On Thursday afternoon following the arrests, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith apologized to Tyree's family and said 'the disappointment and disgust I feel cannot be overstated.'
Sgt. Jensen the sheriff's office planned to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Tyree previously lived in Florida and his family are based in Louisiana, NBC reported.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3223158/Protesters-rally-outside-San-Jose-jail-mentally-ill-man-beaten-death-three-guards.html

Protesters rally outside San Jose jail where bipolar man was 'beaten to death by three guards' while waiting for transfer to mental health facility
Matthew Farris, Jereh Lubrin and Rafael Rodriguez arrested Thursday
Trio are suspected of beating Michael James Tyree, 31, to death
Tyree died August 27 inside Santa Clara County Jail
He suffered blunt force wounds and lacerations, according to reports
Search warrants were served at all three officer's homes
They are being held without bail
Demonstrators rallied outside jail to protest abuse in prison
By Kiri Blakeley For Dailymail.com and Associated Press
Published: 22:51 EST, 4 September 2015 | Updated: 02:14 EST, 5 September 2015

Updated: Mexican Drug Boss Escaped From Prison, Second Time, Threats To Donald Trump

Posted July 12, 2015 9:41 PM ET; Last updated July 13, 2015 8:41 PM ET


On the run: Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, pictured in a mugshot last year, fled from his prison last night.

Is El Chapo resting comfortably in San Francisco, a prominent sanctuary city?

[many videos and images embedded]
[From article]
On the account, administered by Guzman's son Ivan, the escapee reportedly wrote: 'If you keep p****** me off I'm going to make you eat your words you f****** blonde milk-s*****'.
In Mexico, a milk-s****** is a homophobic slur.
The property magnate is taking the threat seriously.
According to TMZ the billionaire has called in the FBI to investigate the source of the Twitter account which warned Trump he would be sorry he spoke out against Mexico.
He also took aim at the Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto saying: ''And you @EPN, don't call me a delinquent because I give people work unlike you you cowardly politician.'
The drugs lord's account became particularly active yesterday, when many believe it was Guzman himself sending messages of victory and threatening his enemies with gruesome death.
He also posted: 'Never say never, this world keeps turning. In this life, he who risks nothing cannot win'.
He also started calling death threats on those who have supposedly betrayed him, including El Chabelo, the current incarcerated boss of Sinaloa's rival cartel the Zetas.
Guzman wrote: 'First to die is El Chabelo, for wanting to see me die in prison.'
He then hinted that the authorities had been complicit in the jailbreak by posting: 'The dog (slang for the Mexican government) dances for money, and I've bought it.'
During his last escape, Guzman hired the help of the prison guards during his first successful escape from maximum security prison, in which he was hidden inside a laundry basket.
[. . .]


Baffled: Authorities look into the entrance to a secret tunnel through which Guzman is believed to had fled.

Local media have now began questioning how no-one saw 3,250 tonnes of earth that was removed to construct a tunnel a mile long, 80 centimetres wide, and 1.7 metres tall. 2,652 cubic metres of earth would have to be removed, enough to fill 379 dump trucks.
The prison staff are equipped with radar and electronic depth testing equipment which they are required to use regularly specifically in order to check for things like tunnels but nothing was ever reported.
[. . .]
The cartel has an engineering division, less notorious than the organisation's armed factions, but equally vital in their ongoing operations.
[. . .]
Prison workers were quickly detained over the escape.
[. . .]
After the launch of a massive manhunt for Guzman, Mexican President Pena Nieto ordered an investigation into whether public officials had helped the capo escape.
'There's no doubt this is an affront to the Mexican state, but I have confidence that the institutions ... can recapture this criminal,' he said in a statement from Paris


Emma Coronel, Guzman's wife and mother to his twin daughters.

According to Vice, Guzman enjoyed special privileges inside the prison - including private audiences with his visitors - while other inmates had a tougher time.
At a press conference today, Mr Rubido said said that Guzman used an elaborate escape hatch built allegedly without the detection of authorities.
'Along the tunnel, they found construction tools, oxygen tanks, containers with fuel and plastic tubes among other things. The passage came out at a construction site.'
He did not comment on why authorities had apparently failed to notice a long tunnel being built under the prison.
[. . .]
Guzman - whose nickname El Chapo ('The Shorty') is a reference to his height of 5ft 6ins - runs a drug empire that stretches across North America and into Europe and Australia.
[. . .]
Guzman - whose nickname El Chapo ('The Shorty') is a reference to his height of 5ft 6ins - runs a drug empire that stretches across North America and into Europe and Australia.


Guzman is listed among the 'World's Most Powerful People' by Forbes magazine, which ranked him above the presidents of France and Venezuela.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3159344/There-s-no-jail-big-midget-Mexico-s-billion-dollar-drugs-lord-gloats-Twitter-escaping-prison-shower-block-tunnel.html

'I'm going to make you eat your words': Mexico's billion-dollar drugs lord THREATENS Donald Trump on Twitter account 'run by his son' and taunts the world after his dramatic escape from prison
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, head of powerful Sinaloa Cartel, is on the run
He fled a prison in Mexico City through an elaborate tunnel network
El Chapo has now reportedly taken to Twitter to gloat about escape online
Posted threats about Donald Trump who had criticised Guzman's escape
Trump has called in the FBI to investigate the threats made against him
By ALASDAIR BAVERSTOCK IN MEXICO CITY and OLLIE GILLMAN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 09:01 EST, 13 July 2015 | UPDATED: 16:20 EST, 13 July 2015

* * *

[From article]
The internal DEA documents reveal that drug agents first got information on escape plans in March 2014, about a month after Guzman was captured in the seaside resort town of Mazatlan, Mexico.
Immediately after Guzman’s arrest, which was considered a crowning achievement of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s government in its war against drug cartels, various Guzman family members and drug-world associates were considering “potential operations to free Guzman,” the documents show. The agency notified Mexican authorities about the plots.
[. . .]
In March 2014, agents in Los Angeles reported a possible escape operation funded by another drug organization run under the auspices of Guzman’s Sinaloa Cartel. That plot involved threatening or bribing prison officials. That July, the same investigation revealed that Guzman’s son had sent a team of lawyers and military counter-intelligence personnel to design a breakout plan.

http://nypost.com/2015/07/13/us-agents-knew-of-drug-kingpin-el-chapos-escape-plans-in-2014/

US agents warned of drug kingpin El Chapo’s escape plans
By Associated Press
New York Post
July 13, 2015 | 3:34pm
* * *

[From article]

Mexico mounted an all-out manhunt Sunday for its most powerful drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who escaped from a maximum security prison through a 1.5-kilometer (1 mile) tunnel from a small opening in the shower area of his cell, according to the country’s top security official.
The elaborate underground escape route, built allegedly without the detection of authorities, allowed Guzman to do what Mexican officials promised would never happen after his re-capture last year — slip out of one of the country’s most secure penitentiaries for the second time.

[. . .]

If Guzman is not caught immediately, the drug lord will likely be back in full command and control of the Sinaloa Cartel in 48 hours, said Michael S. Vigil, a retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief of international operations.
“We may never find him again,” he said. “All the accolades that Mexico has received in their counterdrug efforts will be erased by this one event.”

[. . .]

Guzman’s escape is a major embarrassment to the Pena Nieto administration, which had received plaudits for its aggressive approach to top drug lords. Since the government took office in late 2012, Mexican authorities have nabbed or killed six of them, including Guzman.

[. . .]

It was difficult to believe that such an elaborate structure could have been built without the detection of authorities, though photographs show the corrections facility surrounded by construction, with large open ditches and lots of metal drainage pipes that could have camouflaged such a project.
Guzman dropped by ladder into a hole 10 meters (30 feet) deep that connected with a tunnel about 1.7 meters (5 feet-6 inches) high that was fully ventilated and had lighting, Rubido said.

[. . .]

Authorities also found tools, oxygen tanks and a motorcycle adapted to run on rails that they believe was used to carry dirt out and tools in during the construction.
The tunnel terminated in a half-built house in a farm field, according to radio transmissions among authorities, who cordoned off the structure that sits atop a small rise with a clear view of the prison. They would not confirm the location of the end of the tunnel directly to the AP.

[. . .]

Guzman’s cartel is known for building elaborate tunnels beneath the Mexico-U.S. border to transport cocaine, methamphetamines and marijuana, with ventilation, lighting and even railcars to easily move products.
He was first caught by authorities in Guatemala in 1993, extradited and sentenced to 20 years in prison on drug-trafficking-related charges.
Many accounts say he escaped in 2001 in a laundry cart, although there have been several versions of how he got away. What is clear is that he had help from prison guards, who were prosecuted and convicted.
Guzman was finally re-captured in February 2014 after eluding authorities for days across his home state of Sinaloa.

[. . .]

Even after his 2014 capture, Guzman’s Sinaloa Cartel empire continues to stretch throughout North America and reaches as far as Europe and Australia. The cartel has been heavily involved in the bloody drug war that has torn through parts of Mexico for the last decade, taking an estimated 100,000 lives or more.

http://nypost.com/2015/07/12/worlds-worst-drug-lord-has-escaped-from-mexican-prison/

Massive manhunt begins as world’s worst drug lord escapes prison
By Associated Press
New York Post
July 12, 2015 | 4:55am

CA Prison Inmate Found Cut In Half, Gutted

Aug. 8, 2014: Photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows inmate Nicholas Anthony Rodriguez, who was killed in California State Prison, Solano, in Vacaville, Calif. (AP Photo/California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

[From article]
Details of the gruesome May killing at the medium-security California State Prison, Solano, are laid out in an autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press under a public records request.
The grisly discovery raises obvious questions about the prison's security: How could such a gruesome killing happen inside a locked facility with security and surveillance? How could someone obtain weapons sharp enough to dissect a body? And why did it take so long to uncover?
Homicides are distressingly common in California prisons. More than 160 inmates have been killed in the last 15 years, and the state has one of the nation's highest inmate homicide rates. Yet the death of 24-year-old Nicholas Anthony Rodriguez stands out.
Rodriguez's missing organs are "still part of the investigation" at the prison in Vacaville, 40 miles southwest of Sacramento, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said Friday.
No one has been charged with killing Rodriguez, an Oakland man who was serving an eight-year robbery sentence from Alameda County. However, Thornton said his cellmate, a 46-year-old man serving a life sentence for a Los Angeles County murder, is considered the only suspect and is being held in segregation. Thornton said she couldn't say how the homicide was carried out or concealed since it's still being investigated.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/07/11/inmate-was-nearly-cut-in-two-missing-organs-after-california-prison-riot/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fmost-popular+%28Internal+-+Most+Popular+Content%29

Inmate was nearly cut in two, missing organs after California prison riot
Published July 11, 2015

Associated Press

Fox News

Updated(2): Two NY Convicted Killers Escaped; One Shot Dead By Police, Other Shot and Captured

Posted June 6, 2015 5:34 PM ET; Last updated June 28, 2015 4:34 PM ET


David Sweat, left, and Richard Matt escaped Saturday from a maximum-security prison in upstate New York. Both are convicted killers.

[From article]

Fugitive prisoner David Sweat is ​in ​police custody after getting shot during a confrontation with searchers, sources told The Post on Sunday afternoon.
Sweat, 35, “is down” and medical workers are “working on him,” one source said.
Sweat’s capture in upstate New York follows the fatal shooting of fellow killer Richard Matt, 49, by a fed on Friday.http://nypost.com/2015/06/28/cops-capture-escaped-killer-david-sweat/

Escaped prisoner David Sweat shot, in police custody
By Jamie Schram and Selim Algar
New York Post
June 28, 2015 | 4:01pm

* * *

[From article]
Escaped killer Richard Matt was shot and killed by the State Police deep in the woods of upstate New York on Friday afternoon, law enforcement sources told The Post.
The other fugitive, David Sweat, was being hunted by the cops in the wilderness area around Lake Titus — about 50 miles west of the Dannemora prison from which they escaped on June 6.
http://nypost.com/2015/06/26/escaped-killer-richard-matt-shot-in-woods/

Escaped murderer Richard Matt shot and killed by police
By Jamie Schram and Selim Algar
New York Post
June 26, 2015 | 4:21pm

* * *

[From article]
Two convicted murderers made a daring escape from a maximum-security prison by drilling through cell walls,stealing through plumbing tunnels and then climbing out a manhole, authorities said Saturday. A massive search is underway.
Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, are dangerous and should not be approached, New York state police warned. Officials at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora called state authorities after both men were missing from a 5:30 a.m. bed check.

[. . .]

Sweat is a 5-foot-11 white male with brown hair and green eyes, weighing 165 pounds, police said. He has tattoos on his left bicep and his right fingers.
Matt is a 6-foot white male with black hair and hazel eyes, according to police. He weighs 210 pounds and has tattoos including "Mexico Forever" on his back, a heart on his chest and left shoulder and a Marine Corps insignia on his right shoulder.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/convicted-killers-escape-n-y-prison-article-1.2248902

Two convicted murderers, one of them a cop killer, escape from New York maximum-security prison
BY DEBORAH HASTINGS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Saturday, June 6, 2015, 12:24 PM
Updated: Saturday, June 6, 2015, 5:09 PM

American Pastor Beaten In Iranian Prison

"Pray For Pastor Saeed Abedini," Facebook

[From article]
American pastor Saeed Abedini was beaten in his Iranian prison the day after his wife testified before Congress trying to secure his release.
What do you think?
Abedini was assaulted Wednesday June 3 by a fellow inmate at Iran’s Rajai Shahr prison, where he is serving an eight-year sentence for preaching to Iranian Christians, which the Iranian government claims undermined that country’s national security. Abedini has been in captivity since 2012.
What do you think?
Abedini suffered two black eyes among other injuries, according to his American legal representative, the American Center for Law and Justice. Abedini’s reading table was also destroyed by fellow prisoners.
What do you think?
Abedini was beaten in his prison near the northern Iranian city of Karaj just one day after his wife Nagmeh Abedini testified before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she appealed for help on behalf of her two children with the incarcerated Christian pastor.
What do you think?

http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/11/american-pastor-beaten-in-iranian-prison/

American Pastor BEATEN In Iranian Prison
PATRICK HOWLEY
4:12 PM 06/11/2015

NYC Rikers Island Corrections Officer Breaks Arm of Disabled Woman Prisoner, 77, Covers Up Criminal Abuse

,
M​.​J​.​ Norwick, 77, Attacked By Corrections Officer

[From article]
The prisoner, identified as M . J . Norwick, 77, in the Manhattan federal court suit, had recently returned from Elmhurst Hospital after suffering a heart attack when correction officer Charlene Rosado allegedly attacked her on March 18, 2014.
“Without any warning of her intent to use extreme physical force, C.O. Rosado suddenly and violently pushed Norwick to the ground,” the suit states.
“DOC investigators reviewed video footage of the incident, describing that: In one motion, CO Rosado turns to inmate Norwick and appears to, with both hands, forcefully shove her at her shoulders straight down onto her back.”
Rosado then filled out a “use of force” report saying that Norwick fell “of her own accord,” according to the lawsuit.
[. . .]
The lawsuit comes amid a raft of problems at the troubled jail.
Last week, two Rikers guards were arrested after one fatally kicked an ailing and restrained inmate, telling him as he lay dying, “That’s what you get for f—ing with me.”

http://nypost.com/2015/06/15/rikers-officer-broke-female-prisoners-arm-then-lied-suit/

Rikers officer broke female prisoner’s arms, then lied: suit
By Josh Saul
New York Post
June 15, 2015 | 1:08pm

New York's Governor Hinders Coordination of Police In Search For Prison Escapees

Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State

[From article]
“Cuomo’s aides came in and threw out the US marshal, the sheriff [David Favro, like Cuomo a Democrat] and others who were there to help coordinate the search effort.
“And they did it without even saying ‘Thanks for your help,’ or such, just, ‘Get out so his highness can enter.’
“The State Police are trying to make sure that they’re the ones to catch these guys, that they get all the credit, and as a result, they’re not making full use of the assets that are available to them,’’ the source continued.
[. . .]
a potentially dangerous confrontation was narrowly avoided when a group of heavily armed State Police troopers combing the woods near Willsboro unexpectedly came upon several members of a Correctional Services emergency-response team emerging from a patch of forest, startling them.

http://nypost.com/2015/06/14/cuomo-created-a-total-cluster-f-k-in-hunt-for-escaped-killers/

Cuomo created ‘a total cluster f—k’ in hunt for escaped killers
By Fredric U. Dicker
New York Post
June 14, 2015 | 11:23pm

NY Rikers Island Officers Seek Protection From Inmates, Whose Lawsuit Says Guards Poisoned Them

[From article]
Some 50 members of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association — including its president Norman Seabrook — blasted the city’s jails commissioner for not doing enough to protect rank-and-file workers.
Correction officers in full uniform stood behind the coffin to show what could happen if Correction Commissioner Joe Ponte doesn’t address safety concerns in city jails.

http://nypost.com/2015/03/09/correction-officers-someone-is-going-to-die-at-rikers/

Correction officers: ‘Someone is going to die’ at Rikers
By Michael Gartland
New York Post
March 9, 2015 | 4:19am

* * *



[From article]
A group of Rikers Island inmates say seething guards purposefully spiked their meatloaf with rat poison , possibly to avenge the attempted rape of a female jail guard last wee k .
The 19 prisoners allege in a new Brooklyn federal lawsuit that they fell violently ill after being served meals in their housing unit on March 3 during a three-day lockdown stemming from the attempted sex assault, court papers state.
[. . .]
“Some of the inmates kept the food as evidence,” she told the Post Monday. “I personally saw what looked like blue pellets – especially in the meatloaf – that are consistent with rat poison.”
Squillace said that a prisoner is usually assigned to assist Rikers staff in preparing and distributing meals. But that inmate – Ellis Wilson – claims he was suspiciously barred from taking part in the process on the day of the incident.

http://nypost.com/2015/03/09/rikers-guards-poisoned-inmates-meatloaf-out-of-revenge-suit/

Rikers guards poisoned inmates’ meatloaf ‘out of revenge': suit
By Selim Algar
New York Post
March 9, 2015 | 5:12pm

Massachusetts Court Officer, Charged With Raping Shackled Woman Prisoner

Jose Martinez, 46

Photo: Lawrence Eagle Tribune
[From article]
Jose Martinez, 16-year employee at the courthouse, was held on $40,000 bail Wednesday after pleading not guilty to three counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault and battery. He was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and the courthouse unless he is there for his case.
The oman says Martinez raped and assaulted her in the courthouse elevator, in a holding cell and in maintenance area under a stairwell. The alleged assaults occurred in July 2009 and again in September and October of last year.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/03/court_officer_charged_with_raping_shackled_female_detainee

Court officer charged with raping shackled female detainee
Thusday, March 5, 2015
By:Associated Press
Boston Herald

Dutch Gentleman Convicted of Murder of One Woman, Main Suspect In Another, Fathered Child With New Bride, Was Beaten In Peruvian Prison

Van der Sloot is serving a 28-year sentence for the brutal killing of Stephany Flores, left, in 2010. He remains the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalie Holloway.
Photo: Splash News; AP

[From article]
]Van der Sloot, the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway, was stabbed three times on Oct. 27 and then again in his kidney on Sunday in the Challapalca prison, his lawyer Maximo Altez told Reuters by telephone, without giving further details.
But the head of Peru’s penitentiary system, INPE, dismissed the charge as false and said the prisoner’s wife, who made the allegations, fabricated the story, according to local media.
“Absolutely nothing has happened to him, that woman is lying,” INPE head Jose Luis Perez was quoted as saying in the local newspaper, La Republica.
[. . .]
Van der Sloot married Peruvian citizen Leidy Figueroa, with whom he has a child, at a prison in July.


Wife: Leidy Figeuroa married Van der Sloot earlier this year. She was photographed earlier this year while pregnant with their daughter, to whom she gave birth in September

http://nypost.com/2014/11/03/dutch-killer-van-der-sloot-stabbed-in-prison-lawyer/

Dutch killer van der Sloot ‘stabbed in prison’
By Reuters
November 3, 2014 | 5:20pm

* * *


[From article]
The two prison attacks come just days after Van der Sloot penned a rambling letter from his jail cell blasting the country's prison authorities for violating ‘every one’ of his human rights.
In the letter, obtained by MailOnline, Van der Sloot claims he and other inmates at the Challapalca prison are subject to daily beatings, torture and humiliation at the hands of sadistic jail staff.
And he says he fears for his life after claiming wardens told him they have been given the ‘green light’ to ‘break all his bones’.
His four-page handwritten letter was smuggled out of the remote lock-up, which is located at an altitude of 16,000 feet in the Andes mountains, close to the borders with Bolivia and Chile.
[. . .]
‘The prisoners are constantly beaten and tortured by the wardens. The men sleep in cells full of their own excrement. The whole place stinks of sewage.
‘Many of the men are dying of tuberculosis and other diseases. But there's no doctor or medical department in the prison so the men are just left to die.
‘There are men who have broken bones and bruises all over their bodies from the beatings.
‘The prisoners just get a two-liter bottle of water a week. If they want more water they have to pay the wardens for it. So they can't clean themselves properly.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2819219/Prison-bid-stab-Joran-Van-der-Sloot-death-Convicted-killer-attacked-fellow-inmates-wanted-die-ultra-tough-prison-closed.html

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Bloodied polo shirt worn by Joran Van der Sloot when he was stabbed by fellow inmates who believed killing the high-profile murderer would force ‘ultra-tough’ prison in Peru to close
Dutchman, 27, stabbed repeatedly and left bleeding from the stomach in attack by fellow inmates, his wife tells MailOnline
Wife discovered three-inch wound when she visited him and realized he was
Prisoners wanted death of high-profile inmate because they thought it would lead to closure of notorious Peruvian prison
Van Der Sloot serving sentence for murder of Peruvian in his hotel room in 2010 but has been allowed to marry and father a child from behind bars
Still chief suspect in death of Alabama high school student Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.
Warning: graphic content
By RYAN PARRY, MAILONLINE WEST COAST CORRESPONDENT
PUBLISHED: 13:20 EST, 3 November 2014 | UPDATED: 20:19 EST, 3 November 2014

Taxpayers Gave $5 billion To Free Suspected Traitor, Bergdahl

[From article]
Lt. Colonel Tony Shaffer, author of The Last Line, and Ret. Col. David Hunt joined Bill O’Reilly to give an update on the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap. Lt. Colonel Shaffer told Bill the Obama administration paid $5 billion and released five top Taliban Gitmo detainees in exchange for deserter Bowe Bergdahl.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/12/shock-report-us-paid-5-billion-released-5-taliban-prisoners-for-deserter-bergdahl-video/

SHOCK REPORT: US Paid $5 Billion & Released 5 Taliban Prisoners For Deserter Bergdahl (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft
on Monday, December 22, 2014, 7:40 AM

Updated: Brooklyn, NY Man Freed After 28 Years in Prison for Wrongful Conviction, Second Man Died In Jail

Posted October 15, 2014 8:21 PM ET; Last updated October 18, 2014 5:22 PM ET


David McCallum, seen walking out of the courthouse with his mother Ernestine McCallum, spent 28 years in jail for a murder he did not commit. 
Photo: Byron Smith

[From article]
New Yorker who served 29 years behind bars for a murder he didn't commit walked free today after his conviction was thrown out.
David McCallum, who has spent nearly two-thirds of his life in prison, sobbed into his hands as Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew D'Emic vacated his conviction on Wednesday.
McCallum, 45, said he was feeling mixed emotions because his fellow convict, Willie Stuckey, had passed away behind bars in 2001 before he could see their names cleared.
It's 'a bittersweet moment, because I'm walking out alone,' he told reporters outside the court.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2794111/NYC-prosecutor-Nix-convictions-85-killing.html

New Yorker who served 29 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit walks free - but laments that his fellow 'convict' didn't live to see their names cleared
David McCallum, 45, sobbed as a judge threw out his conviction Wednesday
As he left court surrounded by family, he called it a 'bittersweet moment' because he was walking out without his friend Willie Stuckey
He and friend Stuckey were convicted of murdering Nathan Blenner, 20, in Brooklyn in 1985 after they made false confessions
Stuckey passed away in prison in 2001
The convictions were overturned after the judge ruled that the confessions were false and peppered with details apparently supplied by police
Their cause had been championed by ex-boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter
By Associated Press and MailOnline Reporter
Published: 14:08 EST, 15 October 2014 | Updated: 16:40 EST, 15 October 2014

* * *


Free man: McCallum walks out of the Supreme Court building in Brooklyn after being exonerated when a judge determined that his conviction was based on a false confession when he was just 16.

[From article]
A Brooklyn man locked away for 28 years on a flimsy murder rap walked free today after a judge vacated his wrongful conviction.
[. . .]
David McCallum went to jail for a kidnapping and murder he did not commit.
After years of fighting for his freedom — a cause championed by the wrongfully convicted boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter — McCallum was finally given a second lease on life.
When Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Matthew D’Emic said “I will dismiss the indictments” McCallum dropped his head to the table in front of him, remaining motionless as his lawyer Oscar Michelen rubbed his back.
The judge also vacated the conviction of Willie Stuckey who was found guilty along with McCallum.
Stuckey died in prison in 2001. Stuckey’s mother was in court to hear the news.

http://nypost.com/2014/10/15/man-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-freed-after-28-years/

Man wrongfully convicted of murder freed after 28 years
By Josh Saul and Leonard Greene
New York Post
October 15, 2014 | 2:48pm