Security class Low-security Phone +1 507-835-8972 | Status Operational Population 1,070 Opened 1995 | |
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Address 1000 University Dr SW, Waseca, MN 56093, USA Similar Waseca County Sheriff, Corrections Departme, Steele County Detention, University of Minnesota, Kiesler's Campgro & RV | ||
The Federal Correctional Institution, Waseca (FCI Waseca) is a low-security United States federal prison for female offenders in Minnesota. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The site, located 75 miles from Minneapolis, was converted into a prison in 1992 after formerly serving as a University of Minnesota campus.
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History
FCI Waseca opened in 1995 as an all-male facility. It used many of the buildings from the former college. In 2006, FCI Waseca received its most high-profile prisoner when Jeffrey Skilling, CEO of the now defunct Enron Corporation was sent there after he was convicted of insider trading, securities fraud and other charges for making a $60 million profit by selling company stock in anticipation of the company's 2001 collapse. Skilling was transferred to FCI Englewood, another low-security facility in Colorado, after FCI Waseca was converted into an all-female prison in 2008.
Notable incidents
While they are a rarity in women's prisons, the FBI was called in to investigate a serious act of violence at FCI Waseca in June 2011. Felicia Thomas, a 45-year-old inmate serving a sentence for arson, allegedly attempted to strangle another inmate with a rope taken from a laundry bag. Thomas pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon on January 11, 2013 and was subsequently sentenced to an additional 41 months in prison. She is currently scheduled for release in 2021.