Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Cohen's Prison Reality: A Bunk Bed in Barrack-Style Hall
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
May 3, 2019

Share

NEW YORK — “The Situation” and the Fyre Festival fraudster are already there. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, is up next.

Tucked in the lush countryside south of the Catskill Mountains, Otisville is actually two federal facilities with a total of about 800 inmates: a medium-security prison where former NFL star Darren Sharper is serving a 20-year rape sentence, and a satellite camp for non-violent offenders like Cohen.

It’s not reality TV. It’s a federal prison 70 miles from New York City where white-collar and D-list scoundrels can do time while playing bocce ball and noshing on rugelach.

Cohen, 53, is due to report Monday to the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville to start a three-year sentence for tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes.

Tucked in the lush countryside south of the Catskill Mountains, Otisville is actually two federal facilities with a total of about 800 inmates: a medium-security prison where former NFL star Darren Sharper is serving a 20-year rape sentence, and a satellite camp for non-violent offenders like Cohen.

There, he’ll be serving his sentence with the likes of “Jersey Shore” star-turned-tax fraud convict Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino and Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which runs the federal prison system, has been tight-lipped about Cohen’s placement. The agency denied a reporter’s request to tour the Otisville facility and declined to comment for this article.

The camp does have its allure. About 115 inmates sleep in bunks lined up in barrack-style halls, instead of individual or two-man cells like in higher-security facilities. There are lockers to store personal belongings, washers and dryers for laundry, microwaves to heat up food and ice machines to keep cool.

One of America’s 10 Cushiest Prisons

Alums include accountant Kenneth Starr, who was accused of bilking celebrities like Uma Thurman with bad investments, and former Cendant chairman Walter Forbes and ex-Connecticut Gov. John Rowland. New York Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff wanted to go to Otisville, but the Bureau of Prisons sent him to North Carolina instead.

“Prison is disrespectful. It’s impersonal. He’s never going to get any sleep because there’s always lights on, there’s always inmates snoring. There are officers walking around jingling keys. You shower out in the open. It’s very demeaning.” former Otisville case manager Jack Donson

Otisville is also known as a favorite among prison-bound Jews for its Kosher meals and Shabbat services.

Add in recreational amenities like tennis courts, horseshoes and cardio equipment, and it sounds like the closest thing the federal prison system has to sleepaway camp.

Forbes once ranked Otisville as one of “America’s 10 Cushiest Prisons,” but former employees and inmates say it’s hardly “Club Fed.” Inmates are still doing time and they’re still separated from their families and friends — save for occasional visits.

“Prison is disrespectful. It’s impersonal,” said former Otisville case manager Jack Donson. “He’s never going to get any sleep because there’s always lights on, there’s always inmates snoring. There are officers walking around jingling keys. You shower out in the open. It’s very demeaning.”

Cohen could also be a target of bullying, harassment or worse for his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and other probes, and that could make him a candidate for the prison’s protective housing unit, said Donson. Trump himself has branded Cohen a “rat.”

Cohen’s First Stop at Otisville Will Be Admission and Orientation

Factor in the camp’s design — off a secluded two-lane road, without much fencing or security — and Cohen could find himself easily harassed by paparazzi or ambushed by someone looking to do harm, said Donson.

“He’s not a good fit,” said Donson.

Cameron Lindsay, a retired warden who oversaw Otisville as deputy regional director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, said he would “think long and hard about placing Cohen in a general population, at least in the beginning,” given the “intense media coverage and extreme type of support the president receives from some of his supporters.”

A prison handbook advises inmates to carry themselves in a “confident manner at all times,” to trust their instincts and to “choose your associates wisely.”

Cohen’s first stop at Otisville will be admission and orientation.

He’ll undergo medical and mental health screenings and be assigned a job. He’ll also get a set of clothing, trading in his sport coats and zip ups for khaki shirts and pants, and a set of bedding and towels.

Within a month, he’ll be classified and given recommendations for prison programs. Some inmates go to drug education or take classes to earn a high school-equivalent diploma.

As for a typical day: During the week, it’s lights on at 6 a.m., followed by breakfast. Work duties, such as mowing the grounds or cleaning up the prison, are performed from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a break for lunch at 11. Dinner is served beginning at 4:15 p.m. It’s lights out at 11:30 p.m.

Photo of Otisville Correctional Institution
In this May 1, 2019 photo, a sign marks the entrance to the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville in Mount Hope, N.Y. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, is due to report to the facility on Monday, May 6, 2019, to begin serving a three year sentence for tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The Commissary Sells More Than 100 Kosher Items

On the weekend, inmates get to sleep in. Lights on isn’t until 7 a.m.

“It really makes a difference if you’re Jewish because a lot of guys want to say certain prayers you can only say with 10 Jewish men. You have Sabbath services on Friday night, and the prison even allows inmates to bring in food from the outside.” — Lawrence Dressler, a former Otisville prisoner

Otisville, within 35 miles of the Orthodox Jewish communities of Kiryas Joel and Monsey, is “definitely sought out by Jewish offenders,” said Matthew Perry, executive director of Jewish Prisoner Services International.

The commissary sells more than 100 kosher items, more than most federal prisons. (Matzo goes for $3.15 and gefilte fish costs $5.15. Need a yarmulke? It’s $6). A rabbi on staff full-time leads the chaplainry. At Passover, the prison puts on an elaborate Seder.

“It really makes a difference if you’re Jewish because a lot of guys want to say certain prayers you can only say with 10 Jewish men,” said Lawrence Dressler, a former Otisville prisoner who served 18 months for mortgage fraud, referring to the Jewish quorum known as a minyan. “You have Sabbath services on Friday night, and the prison even allows inmates to bring in food from the outside.”

All Jewish holidays are observed, Dressler said, including Hanukkah, when men gather in the chapel to sing. “Everyone had their own menorah,” he said.

Dressler, who like Cohen was a lawyer before his conviction, predicted Cohen will largely be left alone at Otisville — unless he’s seen as a rat.

“He’ll make a few friends,” Dressler said. “Everyone ends up having a couple of good friends.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

DON'T MISS

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

DON'T MISS

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

DON'T MISS

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

DON'T MISS

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

DON'T MISS

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

DON'T MISS

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

DON'T MISS

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

DON'T MISS

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

DON'T MISS

Misty Her: Push for Fresno Unified Turnaround Starts Now With ‘Boots on the Ground’

UP NEXT

Exclusive: US Congress Republicans Seek $27 Billion for Golden Dome in Trump Tax Bill

UP NEXT

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Directs Investigations Over Gender-Affirming Care

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Cancels Hundreds of Grants for Police, Crime Victims

UP NEXT

Yelich’s 5th Career Slam and Bauers’ 2-Run Homer Power the Brewers to Win Over the Giants

UP NEXT

Happ Hits Game-Ending Single in the 10th as the Cubs Rally Past Dodgers

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

2 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

3 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

3 hours ago

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

4 hours ago

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

4 hours ago

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

4 hours ago

Misty Her: Push for Fresno Unified Turnaround Starts Now With ‘Boots on the Ground’

4 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest 17 in Domestic Violence Crackdown

5 hours ago

What’s Next for Fresno Smoke Shop Ordinance: Lawsuit, Veto, Override?

5 hours ago

Visalia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2019 Fatal Stabbing

6 hours ago

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

LOS ANGELES — California regulators have released a new proposal to allow the testing of self-driving heavy duty trucks on public roads. The...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

2 hours ago

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

2 hours ago

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

Selma Mayor Scott Robertson (left) has been charged with misdemeanor electioneering for allegedly campaigning near voters at a polling place during the November 2024 election. (Facebook)
2 hours ago

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

3 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

3 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

4 hours ago

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

A drone view shows containers at the terminals at the port in Kwai Chung in Hong Kong, China, April 3, 2025. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo)
4 hours ago

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend