A Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) official on Wednesday formally refused the written request by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) to move unjustly imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks to the minimum security satellite camp located at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis.
Despite Parks being a nonviolent, first-time offender convicted after he merely entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6, the letter by BOP Legislative Affairs Chief David Mapp claims the medium security prison is an “appropriate facility” for the Tennessee entrepreneur and former congressional candidate.
Ogles originally sent his letter to FCI Memphis Warden F.J. Bowers last month following reporting by The Tennessee Star which offered details from Parks about what he experienced inside the prison. The congressman asked Bowers to reply by February 17.
In various phone calls with Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Star, Stewart said his cell is prone to flooding, inmates are reduced to using toilet paper to insulate walls, and FCI Memphis guards use more trashcans to contain water from leaking ceilings than trash.
“There are murderers and child molesters here,” Parks told Leahy in February. “No J6 defendant should be in such a situation.”
In the BOP letter, Mapp claimed FCI Memphis “ensures a safe and healthy environment” that involves daily cleanings and weekly inspections, but acknowledged prison staff discovered a “previously unreported” leak in Parks’ cell after Ogles’ letter was sent.
“A work request was submitted, and the issue will be addressed in a timely manner,” Mapp claimed.
Parks first told The Star that his cell was prone to flooding on February 11, shortly after he surrendered at the facility to complete his eight-month sentence.
“One night I was sitting reading the Bible and my socks got soaked,” Parks told Leahy in February. “I was sitting at my desk, all of the sudden my sock got soaked.”
The BOP letter did not address Parks’ claims that he has faced reprisals from prison staff for telling members of the media about the conditions at FCI Memphis, nor did Mapp acknowledge the April 2022 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) audit, referenced by Ogles in his letter, that reported prisoners accused of inmate-on-inmate sexual abuse at FCI Memphis were not charged for the alleged crimes.
After sending his February letter, Ogles called Parks’ plight “heartbreaking” during an appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Ogles explained, “Stewart’s a nice guy, one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He’s a young man, a young entrepreneur. He’s a patriot, truly loves this country, and the idea that he would be treated the way he’s being treated in the facility that he’s in is disturbing.”
Though Ogles sent his letter to Bowers in February, an executive assistant for the warden claimed to The Star in March that the federal prison system would not reply until the congressman used the “proper channels” after nearly a month of silence.
Parks was required to surrender to FCI Memphis after D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta declined a request by Parks to stay his sentence until a judge hears his appeal.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
funny how the left complains about prisons until it is a republican in there, then they don’t seem to care at all about what prisoners go thru. Pay him a visit and see the conditions…..
Why doesnt Andy gather a few colleagues, press and go visit that facility to demand to see conditions and Jake?
“Strong letter to follow” mentality NEVER works- TAKE ACTION ANDY