Since it first opened in 1903, the United State Penitentiary, Leavenworth has seen its fair share of both famous and infamous inmates. Today, we will take a look at a few of the more notorious convicts, Leavenworth Penitentiary famous inmates, who served their time in the eastern Kansas prison.
Let's kick off the list of famous inmates at Leavenworth with a profound piece of history. From 1955 to 1958, James Earl Ray was held at Leavenworth on charges of forgery; he would go on to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.
The NFL quarterback called Leavenworth "home" for 23 months after pleading guilty to operating an interstate dog fighting ring known as "Bad Newz Kennels." He's undoubtedly one of Leavenworth prison's most famous inmates. It's unlikely his well known football skills did him much good here.
Known by the prison system as 08341-016, mob boss Anthony Corallo died in 2000 while serving a 100-year sentence. Legend has it that he was continuing to pull the strings even from behind bars.
The infamous political Kansas City boss was convicted of tax evasion in 1939; he went on to serve a year at Leavenworth. What a thing to be caught for. But after just his year sentence Pendergast was back on the streets inciting crime at every turn.
Garrido made national headlines in 2011 after confessing to the kidnapping, rape, and false imprisonment of Jaycee Dugard. He is currently serving a life sentence. Those dead eyes still send chills down our spines.
The notorious leader of the "69 Mob" gang, convicted in 1985 of murder, murder conspiracy, and drug trafficking conspiracy, was fatally stabbed while serving his life sentence. For the famous inmates of Leavenworth it's a tough call, is it better to live in captivity or to have your sentence cut short in a brutal way.
In 1941, Herman Lang was convicted of leading a group of spies for the Nazis that aimed to obtain information regarding military and industrial sabotage targets. He was sentenced to 18 years at Leavenworth, but ended up being deported to Germany in 1950. The United States wanted to wash their hands of this famous Leavenworth prison inmate.
Caldwell, the first person in the United States to be arrested and convicted for selling marijuana, served his 3 years at Leavenworth. If only he could see the drug laws now.
The former NFL running back pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering and served his 30 months at Leavenworth. The sentencing of this famous Leavenworth Prison inmate caused quite a controversy.
The serial killer (who confessed to 22 murders), rapist, arsonist, and burglar was hanged at Leavenworth in 1930. With a rap sheet like that, we can see why.
These eerie criminals still send shivers down our spines. In addition to its list of famous inmates, Leavenworth Prison is famous because it was one of the first of three federal prisons established during the late 1800s. These federally run prisons were created because so many state prisons were rife with scandal and mistreatment of inmates. How successful this new system was at avoiding this pitfalls is up for debate, but it has left a lasting historical legacy at Leavenworth.
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Leavenworth Penitentiary Famous Inmates
CC|July 06, 2022
How do I learn more about Leavenworth Prison?
If you want to learn more about the history of this eerie and crime filled prison, head to the First City Museum in Leavenworth. You unfortunately can’t tour any of the Leavenworth prison facilities (of which there are five), but this museum does have a robust exhibition about the history of the prison system in this area of Kansas. Visitors are allowed at the historic U.S. Disciplinary Barracks.
