Anthony Weiner has been assigned to a federal prison in Massachusetts next month where he’ll be locked up alongside members of the Gambino crime family, Bernie Madoff’s brother, and a billionaire Clinton fundraiser convicted of insider trading.
The disgraced former congressman will reportedly be incarcerated at Federal Medical Facility Devens when he turns himself in to serve out his 21 month sentence on Nov. 6, according a report in City & State.
The Board of Prisons said it could not disclose Weiner’s prison assignment until he is in federal custody.
FMC Devens has housed a wide variety of inmates – most notoriously Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston marathon bomber, who was placed at Devens for medical treatment in 2013 before being transferred to the supermax facility in Colorado.
FMC Devens, which was a former military facility for nearby Fort Devens, houses inmates of all security levels, but specializes in prisoners with medical conditions and sex offenders and is considered a relatively pleasant assignment as far as federal prisons go.
Disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner will reportedly be incarcerated at Federal Medical Facility Devens when he turns himself in to serve out his 21 month sentence on Nov. 6
FMC Devens, which was a former military facility for nearby Fort Devens, houses inmates of all security levels, but specializes in prisoners with medical conditions and sex offenders and is considered a relatively pleasant assignment as far as federal prisons go
The prison, located in the sleepy northern Massachusetts town of Ayers, boasts tree-lined manicured lawns, dorm-like housing, sports fields and a recreation center.
It also offers a number of leisure activities, including Weiner’s favourite sport – hockey – as well as a hobby craft shop, a music practice room, and cooking classes.
Weiner wouldn’t be the only ex-politician at the facility. Former Massachusetts State Rep. John George, Jr. is currently serving out a 70-month sentence at Devens, after he pleaded guilty in 2015 to embezzling federal funds.
Weiner may also recognize a friendly face in Raj Rajaratnam, the billionaire founder of Galleon Group, who was sentenced to 11 years for a $60 million insider trading scheme in 2009.
Before his conviction, Rajaratnam was a major political donor to Hillary Clinton and to Weiner’s former mentor, Sen. Chuck Schumer. Rajarantam also served as a trustee for a charity group co-founded by Bill Clinton.
Rajaratnam could be a good ally for Weiner to have on the inside – according to reports, the former Wall Street titan has been living it up at Devens with a prime top-floor cell, a private bathroom, an in-room T.V., and a personal ‘manservant.’
One of Rajaratnam’s former assistants sued him in 2014 and claimed the former hedge fund executive wired money to other prisoners in exchange for special favors.
Other notable inmates include Daniel Van Pelt, a former member of the New Jersey State assembly who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for bribery. Bernie Madoff’s brother, Peter, is serving 10 years at the prison for his role in the Ponzi scheme.
Gambino crime family consigliere Frank LoCascio is serving a life sentence at Devens, while former New York City cop William Masso is serving a five-year sentence for gun smuggling.
Huma Abedin and Weiner are divorcing, but they’ve been seen together with their son Jordan in the days before Weiner’s incarceration
Giovanni ‘John the Eagle’ Riggi, the one-time boss of the DeCavalcante crime family, died at Devens two years ago while serving out a life sentence.
The prison has a general population of about 1,000, but a smaller portion of the inmates are housed in a special medical facility and in a satellite minimum security camp.
Weiner pleaded guilty to sending obscene material to a 15-year-old girl earlier this year and was sentenced to 21 months in prison last month.
The former congressman’s relationship with the high school sophomore was first reported by DailyMail.com last September. It prompted an FBI investigation that eventually led to the discovery of undisclosed emails from Hillary Clinton’s email server on Weiner’s laptop shortly before the presidential election.
Weiner would likely be placed in the general population camp, where many of the inmates are also sex offenders and participate in a residential treatment program first developed at Devens.
Upon arriving at Devens, Weiner would receive a bodily search and be given prison clothing, according to the Devens prison manual. He would then receive medical and mental health examinations and be placed in ‘dormitory’-like housing to attend a four-week orientation program.
During the orientation program, Weiner would meet with staff and receive tours of the facility and grounds. He would also sit through classes where he would learn about the prison’s rules and its special programs and activities.
Weiner would be given temporary work projects before eventually being placed in a longer term work assignment approved by Health Services.
As a registered sex offender, Weiner will also spend five days a week participating in the prison’s sex offender treatment program which includes therapy and group classes.
Unlike some other prisons that segregate sex offenders for their own safety from other inmates, sex offenders at Devens are separated from the general prison population. But they do receive intensive therapy designed to prevent them from reoffending.
According to the Devens sex treatment program, ‘participants routinely have direct contact with general population inmates, as they use the same housing, dining, educational, medical, recreational., and religious facilities. hates participating in the [program] are expected to work as do all general population inmates in the Bureau of Prisons, and are encouraged to participate in activities and programs that promote personal growth, and development outside.’
The program requires sex offenders to follow rules on dress and behavior, including being fully clothed in the presence of staff and consenting to routine searches for pornographic contraband.
The program requires sex offenders to including be fully clothed in the presence of staff and consenting to routine searches for pornographic contraband
Participants are not allowed to possess suggestive, nude or partially nude pictures – including cut-outs from magazines and drawings. They also are not allowed to have sex paraphernalia or materials that are suggestive of sexual violence.
During Weiner’s free time outside of sex treatment and work assignments, he’ll be able to participate in the prison’s intramural sports teams, including basketball, soccer, and floor hockey. Devens also has a Hobby Craft Shop and offers art, chess and Bridge classes.
Weiner can also receive up to nine outside visits from friends and family per month on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. However, Devens has strict policies on public displayed of affection.
‘Kissing, embracing and hand-shaking/holding are allowed only upon arrival or departure,’ says the prison’s manual. ‘Displays of affection must be within the bounds of good taste. Excessive physical contact during the visit is prohibited.’
Although prisoners at Devens are allowed to use the internet for outside communication, Weiner is not likely to have this access because of his conviction for sexting with a teenage girl.
‘Inmates with a documented history of computer abuse (such as having used computers to commit a crime) will not be allowed to participate in the Computer Applications program,’ says the Devens manual.