| Prison Name: | Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook |
| Location: | North Elba, Essex County, near Saranac Lake, New York |
| Coordinates: | 44.2903°N -74.0928°W |
| Status: | Operational |
| Classification: | Medium security |
| Population: | Approx. 800 |
| Opened: | 1980 |
| Managed By: | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
| Warden: | David Christensen |
The Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook (FCI Ray Brook) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates that is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.
FCI Ray Brook is located in Essex County, New York, midway between the villages of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake.[1] Although constructed as a prison, it initially served as the Olympic Village for the 1980 Winter Olympics, which were held in Lake Placid.
Lake Placid was considered an ideal site for the available infrastructure from the 1932 Winter Olympics, most notably the Bobsleigh run. The existing facilities meant the Olympics could be staged on a reasonable budget and with limited environmental impact. It was not just a matter of convenience, either, according to Lake Placid’s congressman, Representative Robert McEwen. “It is no secret to us in America that the measure of federal support given to athletes in Communist countries (so that they win medals and improve the countries' image abroad) is on a level unknown to us here in America,” he told Congress.” This would be a step in the right direction, a worthy investment in American winter athletes.” The local Olympic committee needed congressional approval for funding to build the Olympic Village. Congress required an after use contract for facilities, and it was agreed that the Olympic Village would be built in accordance to Federal Bureau of Prisons needs. Following the Olympic Games, it was repurposed for Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook.[2] [3]
The prison became operational following the conclusion of the Olympics and accepted its first inmates that same year. Local activists and international participants had protested the dual purpose building. Decarceration activists formed the coalition Stop the Olympic Prison (STOP) arguing that the location and scale of the project contradicted federal recommendations for new prisons.[4]
In 2010, FCI Ray Brook commemorated its thirtieth anniversary. In 2016, the institution became host to a pilot Pell Grant program offering college coursework through North Country Community College.
The Bureau of Prisons has received numerous complaints regarding conditions at FCI Ray Brook. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstated a previously dismissed lawsuit filed against the Bureau of Prisons on behalf of six inmates who were allegedly housed in an extremely hot and cramped single room without adequate ventilation and cleaning supplies. The Court found that the evidence justified a claim of cruel and unusual punishment. The lawsuit is currently pending.[5]
†Temporarily transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn pending an appeal.
| width=15% | Inmate Name | width=9% | Register Number | width=24% | Status | width=52% | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eduardo Arellano-Felix | 04117-748 | Released on August 18, 2021 after serving a 15-year sentence and deported back to Mexico.[6] | Key member of the Tijuana Cartel, a multi-national drug trafficking organization, extradited from Mexico in 2012; pleaded guilty in 2013 to directing the shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal drug proceeds from the US to Mexico.[7] | ||||
| Rezwan Ferdaus | 94133-038 | Serving a 17-year sentence; scheduled for release in 2026. | Convicted for planning a terrorist attack on The Pentagon.[8] [9] [10] | ||||
| David Radler | 18189-424 | Sentenced to 29 months; transferred from Moshannon Valley Correctional Center; transferred to Canada in September 2008; paroled from Ferndale Institution December 2008.[11] | Pleaded guilty to mail fraud. Former associate of Conrad Black and CEO of Ravelston Corporation. | ||||
| Sathajhan Sarachandran† | 64076-053 | Sentenced to 25 years in 2011. Sentence reduced to 15 years in 2016. Released from custody in 2019 and deported to Canada.[12] | Pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support for terrorism for attempting to purchase military weapons for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant group on the U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.[13] [14] [15] |