Federal Detention Center, Miami


The Federal Detention Center, Miami is a prison operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is located in downtown Miami, at the corner of Northeast Fourth Street and North Miami Avenue. The administrative facility employed 311 staff as of 2002 and housed 1,512 male and female inmates as of July 15, 2010.

Background

Built in 1995, the detention center was designed for a capacity of 1,259 inmates. The facility primarily houses prisoners of the U.S. Marshals Service, both male and female. Its mission is to provide a safe and humane confinement of inmates and detainees, many of whom are involved in federal court proceedings in the Southern District of Florida.

Security procedures

Inmates are screened by a unit team member, and assigned quarters based on personal profile and security needs. Each unit team is composed of a unit manager, case manager, correctional counselor, and at times, an education representative. A federal register number is assigned to each inmate for identification and forwarding of correspondence while in federal custody.
In June 2010, the facility's security procedures prevented attorney Brittney Horstman from meeting a client when her underwire bra set off a metal detector. After returning from a bathroom without the item, she was turned away because of the detention center's dress code. The federal public defender's office contacted Warden Linda McGrew, who conducted an inquiry. McGrew concluded the incident was "an aberration" and promised it would not happen again.

Sexual victimization

According to a 2005 U.S. Justice Department report, an estimated 12 percent of the complaints received by the department's inspector general involved inmates claiming sexual victimization by prison staff. In 2009, federal judge Cecilia Altonaga wrote that although the statute of limitations had passed to award damages in a civil case, "the BOP and FDC Miami did have notice of the illegal conduct taking place, and were woefully deficient in addressing it."

Notable Inmates (current and former)

†Inmates in the Federal Witness Protection Program are not listed on the Bureau of Prisons website.
Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails
Esteban Santiago-Ruiz15500-104Transferred to USP Allenwood.Perpetrator of the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting.
Jatavia JohnsonReleased on October 8, 2019.Also known as JT of notable rap duo City Girls; charged with aggravated identity theft and sentenced to serve a term of 24 months, along with supervised release for 1 year, $6,713.99 in restitution, and $100 special assessment.
Douglas M. Hughes62746-007Released from a halfway house on October 7, 2016.Landed a gyrocopter onto the U.S. Capitol Lawn on April 15, 2015 for campaign finance reform. Received a 4-month sentence at FDC Miami.
Harlem SuarezNow at USP LeeISIS sympathizer; charged on July 28, 2015 with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction for planning to detonate a backpack bomb on a public beach in Key West, Florida.
Colton Harris-MooreHeld at FDC Miami after being apprehended in the Bahamas in 2010.American criminal and former fugitive known as the "Barefoot Bandit"; pleaded guilty in 2011 to engaging in a multi-state crime spree during which he stole several small planes and a boat, and committed numerous burglaries.
Joseph CartagenaReleased from custody in December 2014; served a 4-month sentence.American rap artist and Grammy Award nominee known as "Fat Joe"; pled guilty in 2012 to failing to file tax returns from 2007 to 2010 in order to avoid paying $718,00 in federal taxes.
Scott W. RothsteinUnlisted†Moved to an undisclosed location after entering the Federal Witness Protection Program.Prominent Florida attorney; pleaded guilty in 2010 to masterminding a Ponzi scheme which defrauded investors out of $1.2 billion; his story was featured on the CNBC television program American Greed.
Camilla BroeReleased from custody in February 2010 after drug trafficking charges against her were dismissed.The first Danish citizen to be extradited to the US since the founding of the European Union; her case was accepted by the European Court of Human Rights.