FCI Otisville (minimum-security camp): Difference between revisions
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{{PrisonInfobox | |||
|security_level = Minimum | |||
|gender = Male | |||
|population = ~60 (camp) | |||
|rdap = No | |||
|address = Two Mile Drive, Otisville, NY 10963 | |||
}} | |||
< | |||
The '''Federal Prison Camp, Otisville''' is a minimum-security federal prison camp for male inmates in Otisville, New York. It sits next to [[FCI Otisville (medium-security)]] and shares the same campus in the hills of Orange County. The [[Index of Federal Prison Facilities|Federal Bureau of Prisons]] runs both. The camp holds about 60 men.<ref name="bopotv">{{cite web |title=FCI Otisville |url=https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/otv/ |publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref><ref name="wiki-fci">{{cite web |title=Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Correctional_Institution,_Otisville |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
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The camp is known for two things. It accommodates Orthodox and observant Jewish inmates better than almost any other federal facility. It has housed a string of well-known white-collar defendants, including Michael Cohen and Billy McFarland.<ref name="insidehook">{{cite news |last=Stahl |first=Jeremy |title=The Cushy, Kosher Confines of Otisville, Michael Cohen's Medium-Security Home |url=https://www.insidehook.com/culture/inside-otisville-michael-cohen-medium-security-prison-new-york |work=InsideHook |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
The | The camp is a satellite of FCI Otisville. The two facilities are distinct. The FCI is a fenced medium-security prison. The camp is open. There is no perimeter wall and no fence around the housing area. Men sleep in dormitory bunks rather than cells.<ref name="wiki-fci"/> | ||
The camp | Otisville is about 70 miles northwest of New York City. The drive from Manhattan runs a little over an hour. That distance keeps the camp within reach of families in the metropolitan area, and it is one reason judges and the Bureau of Prisons send New York defendants there.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news |title=Michael Cohen: what life may be like at Otisville prison for Trump's former lawyer |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/12/us/michael-cohen-prison-otisville |work=CNN |date=2018-12-12 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | ||
== | Minimum-security camps hold low-risk inmates near the end of, or throughout, short sentences. The men work jobs on the grounds. At Otisville those jobs have included warehouse work and running the sewage-treatment plant.<ref name="brobible">{{cite news |title=Billy McFarland Kicked Out Of Cushy Prison |url=https://brobible.com/culture/article/fyre-festival-billy-mcfarland-prison-book/ |work=BroBible |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Forbes has listed Otisville among the more comfortable federal facilities, which fed its reputation in the press as a destination for wealthy defendants.<ref name="brobible"/> | ||
== Religious Accommodations == | |||
Otisville is the closest thing the federal system has to a designated facility for observant Jewish inmates. The Bureau of Prisons does not label it that way on paper. In practice the camp has built out kosher and ritual support that other prisons do not offer.<ref name="insidehook"/> | |||
= | A full-time Jewish chaplain works at the facility. That is rare in the federal system, where most religious staffing rotates or contracts out. The chaplain leads weekly Shabbat services and runs holiday observances.<ref name="insidehook"/> | ||
The kitchen supports kosher observance two ways. Inmates receive prepackaged kosher trays each day. There is also a kosher kitchen where men prepare Sabbath and holiday meals from scratch.<ref name="insidehook"/> The facility holds Passover Seders in the cafeteria, with Haggadahs and kosher wine.<ref name="wiki-fci"/> The combination of a resident chaplain, scratch-cooked kosher meals, and full holiday observance is what built the camp's reputation among Orthodox defendants.<ref name="insidehook"/> | |||
== Notable Inmates == | |||
The camp has held several high-profile white-collar offenders. | |||
=== | * '''Michael Cohen''' was sent to the Otisville camp in May 2019. He had been the personal attorney to President Donald Trump. He pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. Reporting at the time confirmed he went to the minimum-security camp, not the fenced medium-security FCI. He was released to home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="cnn"/><ref name="insidehook"/> | ||
* '''Billy McFarland''' organized the failed Fyre Festival and was convicted of wire fraud. He served part of a six-year sentence at the Otisville camp, where he worked in a warehouse and at the sewage-treatment plant. Prison staff later caught him with a prohibited recording device, placed him in the special housing unit, and moved him to a higher-security facility.<ref name="brobible"/><ref name="dailybeast">{{cite news |title=Fyre Festival Fraudster Billy McFarland Busted by Prison Guards |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/fyre-festival-fraudster-billy-mcfarland-busted-by-prison-guards/ |work=The Daily Beast |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
* '''Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino''', the reality television personality from ''Jersey Shore'', served eight months at Otisville for [[Tax Evasion|tax evasion]]. He has since worked as an addiction-recovery advocate.<ref name="brobible"/> | |||
== Location and Visitation == | |||
The camp is at Two Mile Drive, Otisville, New York 10963. Mail to inmates uses the same street address with the federal prison camp designation.<ref name="bopotv"/> | |||
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Visiting rules at the camp follow standard Bureau of Prisons procedure. Visitors must be approved in advance through a background check. Visits are contact visits in a supervised room, held on designated days. The Bureau does not permit conjugal visits at any federal facility, the camp included. For current days and hours, check the institution's official page on the Bureau of Prisons website: [https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/otv/ Official BOP Page]. See also our [[Visiting Policies and Procedures|Visitation Guide]]. | |||
For | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* [[FCI Otisville (medium-security)]] | |||
* [[Index of Federal Prison Facilities]] | * [[Index of Federal Prison Facilities]] | ||
* [[Bureau of Prisons Classification Methods]] | * [[Bureau of Prisons Classification Methods]] | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:camp), FCI Otisville (minimum-security}} | |||
[[Category:Federal Prisons]] | [[Category:Federal Prisons]] | ||
[[Category:Minimum-Security Facilities]] | |||
{{#seo: | {{#seo: | ||
| | |title=Federal Prison Camp Otisville (minimum-security) | Prisonpedia | ||
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|description= | |description=The minimum-security satellite camp at Otisville, New York, known for kosher and Orthodox Jewish accommodations and for housing Michael Cohen and Billy McFarland. | ||
|keywords=FCI Otisville camp | |keywords=Otisville prison camp, FCI Otisville camp, minimum security federal camp, kosher prison, Orthodox Jewish prison, Michael Cohen Otisville, Billy McFarland prison | ||
|type= | |type=Article | ||
|site_name=Prisonpedia | |site_name=Prisonpedia | ||
|locale=en_US | |locale=en_US | ||
|published_time=2026-06-03 | |||
|modified_time=2026-06-03 | |||
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{{MetaDescription|The minimum-security satellite camp at Otisville, New York, known for kosher and Orthodox Jewish accommodations and for housing Michael Cohen and Billy McFarland.}} | |||
Latest revision as of 14:13, 3 June 2026
Male
Gender
Minimum
Security Level
~60 (camp)
Population (Nov. 2025)
The Federal Prison Camp, Otisville is a minimum-security federal prison camp for male inmates in Otisville, New York. It sits next to FCI Otisville (medium-security) and shares the same campus in the hills of Orange County. The Federal Bureau of Prisons runs both. The camp holds about 60 men.[1][2]
The camp is known for two things. It accommodates Orthodox and observant Jewish inmates better than almost any other federal facility. It has housed a string of well-known white-collar defendants, including Michael Cohen and Billy McFarland.[3]
Overview
The camp is a satellite of FCI Otisville. The two facilities are distinct. The FCI is a fenced medium-security prison. The camp is open. There is no perimeter wall and no fence around the housing area. Men sleep in dormitory bunks rather than cells.[2]
Otisville is about 70 miles northwest of New York City. The drive from Manhattan runs a little over an hour. That distance keeps the camp within reach of families in the metropolitan area, and it is one reason judges and the Bureau of Prisons send New York defendants there.[4]
Minimum-security camps hold low-risk inmates near the end of, or throughout, short sentences. The men work jobs on the grounds. At Otisville those jobs have included warehouse work and running the sewage-treatment plant.[5] Forbes has listed Otisville among the more comfortable federal facilities, which fed its reputation in the press as a destination for wealthy defendants.[5]
Religious Accommodations
Otisville is the closest thing the federal system has to a designated facility for observant Jewish inmates. The Bureau of Prisons does not label it that way on paper. In practice the camp has built out kosher and ritual support that other prisons do not offer.[3]
A full-time Jewish chaplain works at the facility. That is rare in the federal system, where most religious staffing rotates or contracts out. The chaplain leads weekly Shabbat services and runs holiday observances.[3]
The kitchen supports kosher observance two ways. Inmates receive prepackaged kosher trays each day. There is also a kosher kitchen where men prepare Sabbath and holiday meals from scratch.[3] The facility holds Passover Seders in the cafeteria, with Haggadahs and kosher wine.[2] The combination of a resident chaplain, scratch-cooked kosher meals, and full holiday observance is what built the camp's reputation among Orthodox defendants.[3]
Notable Inmates
The camp has held several high-profile white-collar offenders.
- Michael Cohen was sent to the Otisville camp in May 2019. He had been the personal attorney to President Donald Trump. He pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. Reporting at the time confirmed he went to the minimum-security camp, not the fenced medium-security FCI. He was released to home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][3]
- Billy McFarland organized the failed Fyre Festival and was convicted of wire fraud. He served part of a six-year sentence at the Otisville camp, where he worked in a warehouse and at the sewage-treatment plant. Prison staff later caught him with a prohibited recording device, placed him in the special housing unit, and moved him to a higher-security facility.[5][6]
- Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, the reality television personality from Jersey Shore, served eight months at Otisville for tax evasion. He has since worked as an addiction-recovery advocate.[5]
Location and Visitation
The camp is at Two Mile Drive, Otisville, New York 10963. Mail to inmates uses the same street address with the federal prison camp designation.[1]
Visiting rules at the camp follow standard Bureau of Prisons procedure. Visitors must be approved in advance through a background check. Visits are contact visits in a supervised room, held on designated days. The Bureau does not permit conjugal visits at any federal facility, the camp included. For current days and hours, check the institution's official page on the Bureau of Prisons website: Official BOP Page. See also our Visitation Guide.
See also
- FCI Otisville (medium-security)
- Index of Federal Prison Facilities
- Bureau of Prisons Classification Methods
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "FCI Otisville". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "The Cushy, Kosher Confines of Otisville, Michael Cohen's Medium-Security Home".Stahl, Jeremy.InsideHook.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Michael Cohen: what life may be like at Otisville prison for Trump's former lawyer".CNN.2018-12-12.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Billy McFarland Kicked Out Of Cushy Prison".BroBible.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Fyre Festival Fraudster Billy McFarland Busted by Prison Guards".The Daily Beast.Retrieved 2026-06-03.