FCI Otisville (medium-security): Difference between revisions
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{{PrisonInfobox | |||
|name = FCI Otisville | |||
|security_level = Medium | |||
|gender = Male | |||
|population = 951 (November 2025) | |||
|rdap = No | |||
|address = Two Mile Drive, Otisville, NY 10963 | |||
}} | |||
'''Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville''' ('''FCI Otisville''') is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates | '''Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville''' ('''FCI Otisville''') is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates. It sits in the village of Otisville, in Orange County, New York, about 70 miles northwest of Manhattan. The institution is run by the [[Index of Federal Prison Facilities|Federal Bureau of Prisons]], part of the United States Department of Justice. A minimum-security satellite camp shares the grounds. Together they form the Otisville Federal Correctional Complex.<ref name="bop">{{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-fac">{{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> | ||
The prison opened in 1977. The adjacent camp opened in 1994.<ref name="wiki-fac"/> Otisville draws steady media attention for two reasons. It has held a long line of white-collar defendants. It also serves observant Jewish inmates in a way few federal prisons do, with kosher food, a chaplain, and religious services on site.<ref name="jta">{{cite news |title=Michael Cohen could get kosher matzah ball soup and rugelach in prison |url=https://www.jta.org/2018/12/14/united-states/michael-cohen-could-get-kosher-matzah-ball-soup-and-rugelach-in-prison |work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=2018-12-14 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
FCI Otisville | FCI Otisville holds adult male inmates at the medium-security level. The grounds also include a minimum-security satellite camp, which houses a smaller group of men.<ref name="bop"/> Court designations and news reports place much of the facility's white-collar population at the camp rather than the main institution, since most of those defendants carry low security scores.<ref name="insidehook">{{cite news |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> | ||
== | |||
The complex sits in a rural stretch of Orange County. Its distance from New York City is short by federal standards. That proximity matters to inmates with family in the metro area, and it has shaped which prisoners ask to be sent 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/index.html |work=CNN |date=2018-12-12 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
Forbes once listed Otisville among the most comfortable federal prisons in the country. The label stuck. Local and national outlets often reach for the "Club Fed" shorthand when a high-profile defendant is designated there.<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> | |||
== | == Religious Accommodations == | ||
Otisville is known across the federal system as the destination for Orthodox Jewish inmates. The Bureau of Prisons never made the designation official. In practice it routes observant Jewish prisoners there, a pattern that traces back to a group of Satmar inmates who arrived with strict dietary needs. Rather than impose those requirements system-wide, the Bureau let Otisville handle them.<ref name="haemtza">{{cite web |title=The Otisville Kosher Resort |url=http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-otisville-kosher-resort.html |publisher=Emes Ve-Emunah |date=2019-01 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
'' | The kitchen serves kosher meals. Reported items include matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, beef cholent, stuffed chicken, and rugelach. Kosher vending machines are available. The prison employs a full-time Hasidic chaplain.<ref name="jta"/><ref name="cleveland">{{cite news |title=Michael Cohen reports to America's 'Jewiest' prison |url=https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/national_news/michael-cohen-reports-to-america-s-jewiest-prison/article_8fb99866-442c-52de-9cd7-ff5658315091.html |work=Cleveland Jewish News |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | ||
== | Religious practice extends past food. Inmates may wear tzitzit and attend Shabbat services. The facility holds Passover Seders in the cafeteria. For Passover and for use of a mikveh, the ritual bath, men have at times been permitted to travel to nearby Ellenville or Middletown.<ref name="jta"/><ref name="haemtza"/> Rabbi Menachem Katz of the Aleph Institute, which runs prison outreach, has described Otisville as the facility the Bureau "unofficially designated" to meet the needs of Orthodox Jews, a function of its location near Orthodox communities in New York.<ref name="haemtza"/> | ||
== | == Notable Alumni == | ||
Several high-profile defendants have served time at the Otisville complex. Most were white-collar offenders held at the minimum-security camp. | |||
* '''Michael Cohen''' (register #86067-054) was the personal attorney to President Donald Trump. He pleaded guilty to charges that included campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. He was sentenced to three years and reported to Otisville in 2019. He was released to home confinement in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="cnn"/><ref name="cleveland"/> | |||
* '''Billy McFarland''' organized the failed Fyre Festival. He pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud tied to a scheme that took more than $26 million from investors. He was sentenced to six years and held at Otisville. He was caught with a prohibited recording device and moved to a higher-security facility. He was released in 2022.<ref name="dailybeast"/><ref name="wiki-mcfarland">{{cite web |title=Billy McFarland |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_McFarland |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
* '''Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino''', a cast member of ''Jersey Shore'', pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 2018. He served an eight-month sentence and was released in September 2019.<ref name="wiki-fac"/> | |||
== Location and Visitation == | |||
== | The prison is at Two Mile Drive, Otisville, New York 10963.<ref name="bop"/> The site lies in Orange County, a rural area roughly 70 miles northwest of New York City.<ref name="cnn"/> | ||
Visiting rules at federal institutions change often. Approved visitor lists, scheduling windows, dress codes, and identification requirements are set by the institution and can shift without much notice. Anyone planning a visit should confirm the current rules before traveling. The Bureau of Prisons posts visiting information for each facility on its official institution page: [https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/otv/ FCI Otisville on bop.gov]. | |||
For | For general guidance on federal prison visits, see the Prisonpedia [[Visiting Policies and Procedures|Visitation Guide]]. | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
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== References == | == References == | ||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Federal Prisons]] | [[Category:Federal Prisons]] | ||
[[Category:Medium-Security Facilities]] | |||
{{#seo: | {{#seo: | ||
| | |title=FCI Otisville (Medium-Security) - Prisonpedia | ||
| | |title_mode=replace | ||
|description= | |description=FCI Otisville is a medium-security federal prison in Orange County, New York, known for kosher accommodations for Orthodox Jewish inmates and white-collar alumni including Michael Cohen and Billy McFarland. | ||
|keywords=FCI Otisville, federal prison, medium security, | |keywords=FCI Otisville, federal prison, medium security, Orange County New York, kosher prison, Orthodox Jewish inmates, Michael Cohen prison, Billy McFarland, Otisville camp, Bureau of Prisons | ||
|type= | |type=Article | ||
|site_name=Prisonpedia | |site_name=Prisonpedia | ||
|locale=en_US | |locale=en_US | ||
|modified_time=2026-06-03 | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{MetaDescription|FCI Otisville is a medium-security federal prison in Orange County, New York, known for kosher accommodations for Orthodox Jewish inmates and white-collar alumni including Michael Cohen and Billy McFarland.}} | |||
Revision as of 14:08, 3 June 2026
Male
Gender
Medium
Security Level
951 (November 2025)
Population (Nov. 2025)
Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville (FCI Otisville) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates. It sits in the village of Otisville, in Orange County, New York, about 70 miles northwest of Manhattan. The institution is run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, part of the United States Department of Justice. A minimum-security satellite camp shares the grounds. Together they form the Otisville Federal Correctional Complex.[1][2]
The prison opened in 1977. The adjacent camp opened in 1994.[2] Otisville draws steady media attention for two reasons. It has held a long line of white-collar defendants. It also serves observant Jewish inmates in a way few federal prisons do, with kosher food, a chaplain, and religious services on site.[3]
Overview
FCI Otisville holds adult male inmates at the medium-security level. The grounds also include a minimum-security satellite camp, which houses a smaller group of men.[1] Court designations and news reports place much of the facility's white-collar population at the camp rather than the main institution, since most of those defendants carry low security scores.[4]
The complex sits in a rural stretch of Orange County. Its distance from New York City is short by federal standards. That proximity matters to inmates with family in the metro area, and it has shaped which prisoners ask to be sent there.[5]
Forbes once listed Otisville among the most comfortable federal prisons in the country. The label stuck. Local and national outlets often reach for the "Club Fed" shorthand when a high-profile defendant is designated there.[6]
Religious Accommodations
Otisville is known across the federal system as the destination for Orthodox Jewish inmates. The Bureau of Prisons never made the designation official. In practice it routes observant Jewish prisoners there, a pattern that traces back to a group of Satmar inmates who arrived with strict dietary needs. Rather than impose those requirements system-wide, the Bureau let Otisville handle them.[7]
The kitchen serves kosher meals. Reported items include matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, beef cholent, stuffed chicken, and rugelach. Kosher vending machines are available. The prison employs a full-time Hasidic chaplain.[3][8]
Religious practice extends past food. Inmates may wear tzitzit and attend Shabbat services. The facility holds Passover Seders in the cafeteria. For Passover and for use of a mikveh, the ritual bath, men have at times been permitted to travel to nearby Ellenville or Middletown.[3][7] Rabbi Menachem Katz of the Aleph Institute, which runs prison outreach, has described Otisville as the facility the Bureau "unofficially designated" to meet the needs of Orthodox Jews, a function of its location near Orthodox communities in New York.[7]
Notable Alumni
Several high-profile defendants have served time at the Otisville complex. Most were white-collar offenders held at the minimum-security camp.
- Michael Cohen (register #86067-054) was the personal attorney to President Donald Trump. He pleaded guilty to charges that included campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. He was sentenced to three years and reported to Otisville in 2019. He was released to home confinement in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][8]
- Billy McFarland organized the failed Fyre Festival. He pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud tied to a scheme that took more than $26 million from investors. He was sentenced to six years and held at Otisville. He was caught with a prohibited recording device and moved to a higher-security facility. He was released in 2022.[6][9]
- Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, a cast member of Jersey Shore, pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 2018. He served an eight-month sentence and was released in September 2019.[2]
Location and Visitation
The prison is at Two Mile Drive, Otisville, New York 10963.[1] The site lies in Orange County, a rural area roughly 70 miles northwest of New York City.[5]
Visiting rules at federal institutions change often. Approved visitor lists, scheduling windows, dress codes, and identification requirements are set by the institution and can shift without much notice. Anyone planning a visit should confirm the current rules before traveling. The Bureau of Prisons posts visiting information for each facility on its official institution page: FCI Otisville on bop.gov.
For general guidance on federal prison visits, see the Prisonpedia Visitation Guide.
See also
- Index of Federal Prison Facilities
- FCI Otisville (minimum-security camp)
- Bureau of Prisons Classification Methods
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "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 "Michael Cohen could get kosher matzah ball soup and rugelach in prison".Jewish Telegraphic Agency.2018-12-14.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "The Cushy, Kosher Confines of Otisville, Michael Cohen's Medium-Security Home".InsideHook.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Michael Cohen: what life may be like at Otisville prison for Trump's former lawyer".CNN.2018-12-12.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Fyre Festival Fraudster Billy McFarland Busted by Prison Guards".The Daily Beast.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "The Otisville Kosher Resort". Emes Ve-Emunah. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Michael Cohen reports to America's 'Jewiest' prison".Cleveland Jewish News.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Billy McFarland". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-06-03.