Latest news with #BureauofPrisons'
Indianapolis Star
01-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Woman tied to 'animal crushing' back in jail after being found with dogs in Fountain Square
Warning: This story contains graphic details about animal torture and abuse. A woman who spent time in prison for extreme animal cruelty was arrested in Indianapolis on June 27 after prosecutors say she violated the terms of her supervised release. Krystal Cherika Scott, 24, was sentenced to 30 months' incarceration in 2021 as part of a plea deal after posting online videos of herself hanging and skinning cats and dogs. She was then transferred to five years of supervised release. Though the court ordered that Scott have no further contact with animals through 2028, she and two others were cited for animal neglect on June 21 after authorities found a dozen animals living in squalor in their rented U-Haul van. None of the animals had access to food or water and were "forced to stand" in a pile of feces, according to the animal control officer's report. The inside of the van smelled "like a deceased animal," the officer wrote, though all were alive. Animal control took the animals. Authorities couldn't figure out who owned each animal, so all three were cited. Each citation carries a fine between $25 and $200. No criminal charges were filed, sparking outrage and disbelief from animal advocates throughout Indianapolis. More: Woman on federal probation for 'animal crushing' found with dogs, cats in Fountain Square Documents recently filed in Scott's federal case don't specify how she allegedly violated the terms of her release, but the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said before her June 27 arrest that her parole officer was aware of the animal care citation. A warrant for her arrest was issued by a federal judge on June 25, online court records show. Scott was the first person charged under a 2019 law that grants the federal government jurisdiction over extreme animal torture cases, according to a sentencing memorandum filed in her case. The FBI began investigating her in June 2020 after she posted a kitten torture video on Instagram. Federal agents raided the property and arrested Scott in July 2020. The FBI recovered "animal parts and skulls that were consistent with the size of cats and dogs," according to court documents. "(Scott) claims that her 'good side' loves cats and dogs, but that her 'bad side' tells her to commit acts of animal cruelty, including killing animals by strangulation and other means," an FBI agent wrote. In a custodial interview, Scott admitted to killing a kitten on video and uploading to Instagram. She later pleaded guilty to two counts of animal crushing, which refers to intentionally torturing live animals, often on video. Scott was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison on Nov. 10, 2021. She was released on June 29, 2023, according to the Bureau of Prisons' database. Her release was followed by five years of supervised release, which banned "non-incidental" contact with animals. The terms of her probation were modified twice after her initial sentencing, but the changes are not available to the public. A revocation hearing is scheduled for July 29.
Indianapolis Star
01-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Woman tied to 'animal crushing' back in jail after being found with dogs in Fountain Square
Warning: This story contains graphic details about animal torture and abuse. A woman who spent time in prison for extreme animal cruelty was arrested in Indianapolis on June 27 after prosecutors say she violated the terms of her supervised release. Krystal Cherika Scott, 24, was sentenced to 30 months' incarceration in 2021 as part of a plea deal after posting online videos of herself hanging and skinning cats and dogs. She was then transferred to five years of supervised release. Though the court ordered that Scott have no further contact with animals through 2028, she and two others were cited for animal neglect on June 21 after authorities found a dozen animals living in squalor in their rented U-Haul van. None of the animals had access to food or water and were "forced to stand" in a pile of feces, according to the animal control officer's report. The inside of the van smelled "like a deceased animal," the officer wrote, though all were alive. Animal control took the animals. Authorities couldn't figure out who owned each animal, so all three were cited. Each citation carries a fine between $25 and $200. No criminal charges were filed, sparking outrage and disbelief from animal advocates throughout Indianapolis. More: Woman on federal probation for 'animal crushing' found with dogs, cats in Fountain Square Documents recently filed in Scott's federal case don't specify how she allegedly violated the terms of her release, but the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said before her June 27 arrest that her parole officer was aware of the animal care citation. A warrant for her arrest was issued by a federal judge on June 25, online court records show. Scott was the first person charged under a 2019 law that grants the federal government jurisdiction over extreme animal torture cases, according to a sentencing memorandum filed in her case. The FBI began investigating her in June 2020 after she posted a kitten torture video on Instagram. Federal agents raided the property and arrested Scott in July 2020. The FBI recovered "animal parts and skulls that were consistent with the size of cats and dogs," according to court documents. "(Scott) claims that her 'good side' loves cats and dogs, but that her 'bad side' tells her to commit acts of animal cruelty, including killing animals by strangulation and other means," an FBI agent wrote. In a custodial interview, Scott admitted to killing a kitten on video and uploading to Instagram. She later pleaded guilty to two counts of animal crushing, which refers to intentionally torturing live animals, often on video. Scott was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison on Nov. 10, 2021. She was released on June 29, 2023, according to the Bureau of Prisons' database. Her release was followed by five years of supervised release, which banned "non-incidental" contact with animals. The terms of her probation were modified twice after her initial sentencing, but the changes are not available to the public. A revocation hearing is scheduled for July 29.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Quapaw man sentenced to prison for raping teen
TULSA, Okla. — A previously registered Kansas sex offender is going back to prison for sexually abusing a Quapaw teen. Dylan Boyd, 28, was sentenced to 136 months, or just over 11 years. He pleaded guilty in February to abusive sexual contact with a minor in Indian Country and the commission of a felony sex offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender. Boyd is required to serve 16 months for the abusive sexual contact and 120 months for the sexual offense while registered as a sex offender. Boyd was also recommended to be placed at Seagoville, Texas's Bureau of Prisons' facility. He was also required to participate in the Bureau of Prisons' Residential Drug Abuse Program, mental health, and sex offender treatment programs. A Miami Tribe of Oklahoma citizen, Boyd, had prior convictions for aggravated indecent liberties with a minor and violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act, when he sexually assaulted a teen younger than 16 years old in November 2020 in her Quapaw home. Boyd was in Kansas state custody at the time of his federal indictment for a prior conviction for failing to register as a sex offender for acts he committed in 2011 at the age of 15. Federal prosecutors dropped charges of sexual abuse by force and threat, sexual abuse of a minor, both in Indian Country, in exchange for the guilty plea. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
08-05-2025
- Politics
Cash-strapped Bureau of Prisons freezes some hiring to 'avoid more extreme measures,' director says
The Trump administration is halting some hiring at the federal Bureau of Prisons, the crisis-plagued agency where chronic understaffing has led to long overtime shifts and the use of prison nurses, teachers, cooks and other workers to guard inmates. The move, which coincides with President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to cut the cost and size of the federal government, was announced Thursday by the agency's newly appointed director, William K. Marshall III. Some union officials characterized the move as a 'hiring freeze,' though the agency denied that, saying some positions would continue to be filled. The Bureau of Prisons will maintain current staffing levels at least through the end of the fiscal year, Sept 30, Marshall wrote in an email to staff titled 'Staffing and Hiring Decisions.' The agency will still work to fill critical positions, such as correctional officers and medical clinicians, and will honor job offers that are currently pending on an accelerated timeline. The change comes days after Trump ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz, the fabled former penitentiary in San Francisco Bay that last held inmates more than six decades ago. The dilapidated facility, now a popular museum and tourist attraction, will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild at a time when the federal prison system is facing a $3 billion repair backlog and myriad other woes. Marshall said this week that the cash-strapped agency will conduct 'an immediate assessment to determine our needs and the next steps' on Trump's Alcatraz directive. Since mid-March, 11 federal prison inmates have died. Last week, an inmate in Miami tested positive for tuberculosis, while others were diagnosed with COVID-19. In February, a Bureau of Prisons official told Congress that more than 4,000 beds within the system — the equivalent of at least two full prisons — are unusable because of dangers like leaking or failing roofs, mold, asbestos or lead. In his announcement Thursday, Marshall told employees that changing the Bureau of Prisons' hiring practices are necessary to 'avoid more extreme measures" as it navigates budgetary challenges. The plan will 'maintain stability and protect the livelihood of our workforce to the fullest extent possible," he wrote. The hiring freeze is likely to exacerbate a staffing crisis at the agency, which has more than 4,000 unfilled positions, union officials said. The administration previously eliminated some pay bonuses that were credited with retaining and attracting new staff. In one example of staffing problems, a federal jail in Brooklyn had more than 150 vacancies despite a hiring surge that increased staffing by about 20%. Before that, the facility was operating at about 55% of full staffing, according to court filings. 'We're already severely understaffed, they took our retention pay, they have been literally stripping all the things away from us that matter,' said Aaron McGlothin, union president at the federal prison in Mendota, California. 'Freezing an already severely understaffed agency will lead to tragic consequences, we are tired of doing more with less." Trump suspended hiring across many parts of the federal bureaucracy when he took office in January, but initially spared the Bureau of Prisons and other law enforcement agencies. At the same time the administration and billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cut probationary workers and offered buyouts to hundreds of thousands of workers across the government. Trump previously imposed a hiring freeze at the Bureau of Prisons during his first term, in 2017. That freeze was blamed for accelerating the glut of vacancies and overtime spending — a trend that has continued for years as the agency has struggled to hire and retain employees. Some correctional officers have been pressed into duty for 16-hour shifts and 80-hour weeks. 'Staff are mentally and physically exhausted from the do more with less directives,' McGlothin said, noting a wave of retirements in the wake of Trump's actions. 'Nothing ever good comes from these situations and I pray no one is injured or killed over these senseless decisions.' An ongoing investigation from The Associated Press has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, an agency with more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates, 122 facilities and an annual budget of about $8 billion. AP reporting has revealed rampant misconduct, including staff-on-inmate sexual abuse, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides. In December, the agency announced it was permanently closing its women's prison in Dublin, California, in the wake of rampant sexual abuse by employees, including the warden. It addition, it idled six prison camps across the country, moves it said were done to address 'significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cash-strapped Bureau of Prisons freezes some hiring to 'avoid more extreme measures,' director says
The Trump administration is halting some hiring at the federal Bureau of Prisons, the crisis-plagued agency where chronic understaffing has led to long overtime shifts and the use of prison nurses, teachers, cooks and other workers to guard inmates. The move, which coincides with President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign to cut the cost and size of the federal government, was announced Thursday by the agency's newly appointed director, William K. Marshall III. Some union officials characterized the move as a 'hiring freeze,' though the agency denied that, saying some positions would continue to be filled. The Bureau of Prisons will maintain current staffing levels at least through the end of the fiscal year, Sept 30, Marshall wrote in an email to staff titled 'Staffing and Hiring Decisions.' The agency will still work to fill critical positions, such as correctional officers and medical clinicians, and will honor job offers that are currently pending on an accelerated timeline. The change comes days after Trump ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz, the fabled former penitentiary in San Francisco Bay that last held inmates more than six decades ago. The dilapidated facility, now a popular museum and tourist attraction, will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild at a time when the federal prison system is facing a $3 billion repair backlog and myriad other woes. Marshall said this week that the cash-strapped agency will conduct 'an immediate assessment to determine our needs and the next steps' on Trump's Alcatraz directive. Since mid-March, 11 federal prison inmates have died. Last week, an inmate in Miami tested positive for tuberculosis, while others were diagnosed with COVID-19. In February, a Bureau of Prisons official told Congress that more than 4,000 beds within the system — the equivalent of at least two full prisons — are unusable because of dangers like leaking or failing roofs, mold, asbestos or lead. In his announcement Thursday, Marshall told employees that changing the Bureau of Prisons' hiring practices are necessary to 'avoid more extreme measures" as it navigates budgetary challenges. The plan will 'maintain stability and protect the livelihood of our workforce to the fullest extent possible," he wrote. The hiring freeze is likely to exacerbate a staffing crisis at the agency, which has more than 4,000 unfilled positions, union officials said. The administration previously eliminated some pay bonuses that were credited with retaining and attracting new staff. In one example of staffing problems, a federal jail in Brooklyn had more than 150 vacancies despite a hiring surge that increased staffing by about 20%. Before that, the facility was operating at about 55% of full staffing, according to court filings. 'We're already severely understaffed, they took our retention pay, they have been literally stripping all the things away from us that matter,' said Aaron McGlothin, union president at the federal prison in Mendota, California. 'Freezing an already severely understaffed agency will lead to tragic consequences, we are tired of doing more with less." Trump suspended hiring across many parts of the federal bureaucracy when he took office in January, but initially spared the Bureau of Prisons and other law enforcement agencies. At the same time the administration and billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cut probationary workers and offered buyouts to hundreds of thousands of workers across the government. Trump previously imposed a hiring freeze at the Bureau of Prisons during his first term, in 2017. That freeze was blamed for accelerating the glut of vacancies and overtime spending — a trend that has continued for years as the agency has struggled to hire and retain employees. Some correctional officers have been pressed into duty for 16-hour shifts and 80-hour weeks. 'Staff are mentally and physically exhausted from the do more with less directives,' McGlothin said, noting a wave of retirements in the wake of Trump's actions. 'Nothing ever good comes from these situations and I pray no one is injured or killed over these senseless decisions.' An ongoing investigation from The Associated Press has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, an agency with more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates, 122 facilities and an annual budget of about $8 billion. AP reporting has revealed rampant misconduct, including staff-on-inmate sexual abuse, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides. In December, the agency announced it was permanently closing its women's prison in Dublin, California, in the wake of rampant sexual abuse by employees, including the warden. It addition, it idled six prison camps across the country, moves it said were done to address 'significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources.'
