Most Famous Prisoners

Most Famous Prisoners

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<p>Famous prisoners are fascinating. Some have left their mark by committing sordid crimes, while others have found themselves behind bars for defending their ideals. It’s a sad paradox, yet still represents the reality of many prisons around the world. Here are some of the most famous prisoners from here and elsewhere who have marked history.</p>

The Most Famous Prisoners

Famous prisoners are fascinating. Some have left their mark by committing sordid crimes, while others have found themselves behind bars for defending their ideals. It’s a sad paradox, yet still represents the reality of many prisons around the world. Here are some of the most famous prisoners from here and elsewhere who have marked history.

<p>Charles Manson founded a sectarian group near the end of the 1960s called The Family. The group committed various murders in 1969, including that of Sharon Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski, and four of her friends. While Charles Manson wasn’t present at the scene of the murders, he was found guilty on January 25, 1971, and was given the death penalty on the 29th of March. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison, which he is still serving at the state prison in Corcoran, California. He is presently 81 years old and still making headlines for his repeated requests for release, and, more recently, for his attempt to marry a young 25-year-old American girl, Afton Burton. This marriage ended up being cancelled.</p>

Charles Manson

Charles Manson founded a sectarian group near the end of the 1960s called The Family. The group committed various murders in 1969, including that of Sharon Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski, and four of her friends. While Charles Manson wasn’t present at the scene of the murders, he was found guilty on January 25, 1971, and was given the death penalty on the 29th of March. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison, which he is still serving at the state prison in Corcoran, California. He is presently 81 years old and still making headlines for his repeated requests for release, and, more recently, for his attempt to marry a young 25-year-old American girl, Afton Burton. This marriage ended up being cancelled.

<p>Timothy McVeigh made a booby-trap truck explode in front of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. The attack took the lives of 168 people, 19 of which were children, in addition to injuring 680 others. McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran, was looking to avenge the federal government for its poor management of the Waco siege, in 1993, and also hoped to start a rebellion against what he considered an oppressive government. McVeigh was found guilty on 11 federal counts and was eventually executed on June 11, 2001.</p>

Timothy McVeigh made a booby-trap truck explode in front of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. The attack took the lives of 168 people, 19 of which were children, in addition to injuring 680 others. McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran, was looking to avenge the federal government for its poor management of the Waco siege, in 1993, and also hoped to start a rebellion against what he considered an oppressive government. McVeigh was found guilty on 11 federal counts and was eventually executed on June 11, 2001.

<p>O.J. Simpson is a former professional American football player who became a movie actor after he retired from his career as an athlete. He is also known for having been accused of assassinating his former wife and her companion in 1994. He was acquitted in 1995 following a long, highly controversial and highly publicized trial, but was found liable in civil courts. In 2008, he was finally sentenced to 33 years in prison for abduction and armed robbery as a result of another case.</p>

O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson is a former professional American football player who became a movie actor after he retired from his career as an athlete. He is also known for having been accused of assassinating his former wife and her companion in 1994. He was acquitted in 1995 following a long, highly controversial and highly publicized trial, but was found liable in civil courts. In 2008, he was finally sentenced to 33 years in prison for abduction and armed robbery as a result of another case.

<p>Terry Nichols is a veteran of the American army recognized as the accomplice of Timothy McVeigh in the attack on Oklahoma City in 1995. Imprisoned for life, he is still serving his time at ADX Florence, a maximum-security men’s prison in the state of Colorado.</p>

Terry Nichols

Terry Nichols is a veteran of the American army recognized as the accomplice of Timothy McVeigh in the attack on Oklahoma City in 1995. Imprisoned for life, he is still serving his time at ADX Florence, a maximum-security men’s prison in the state of Colorado.

<p>Authorities charged Ted Kaczynski as the terrorist responsible for more than a dozen bombings in several American states from 1978 to 1995. He was nicknamed Unabomber (UNiversity and Airline BOMBER) since many of his targets worked for universities and airlines. Investigators tracked down Kaczynski when his brother informed the FBI that a manifesto attributed to the Unabomber, which appeared in the New York Times and Washington Post, was similar to texts his brother had written. Ted Kaczynski was finally sentenced to life in prison, without parole. He is also serving his sentence at ADX Florence.</p>

Ted Kaczynski

Authorities charged Ted Kaczynski as the terrorist responsible for more than a dozen bombings in several American states from 1978 to 1995. He was nicknamed Unabomber (UNiversity and Airline BOMBER) since many of his targets worked for universities and airlines. Investigators tracked down Kaczynski when his brother informed the FBI that a manifesto attributed to the Unabomber, which appeared in the New York Times and Washington Post, was similar to texts his brother had written. Ted Kaczynski was finally sentenced to life in prison, without parole. He is also serving his sentence at ADX Florence.

<p>Ramzi Yousef is an Islamic terrorist of Pakistani origin involved in planning the World Trade Center attacks of 1993, Operation Bojinka (which preceded the attacks of September 11, 2001), a conspiracy against Benazir Bhutto and the failed attack on Philippine Airlines flight 434, which left one person dead in December 1994. He was eventually arrested on February 7, 1995, in Islamabad and transferred to the United States, where he is still serving a life sentence at ADX Florence.</p>

Ramzi Yousef

Ramzi Yousef is an Islamic terrorist of Pakistani origin involved in planning the World Trade Center attacks of 1993, Operation Bojinka (which preceded the attacks of September 11, 2001), a conspiracy against Benazir Bhutto and the failed attack on Philippine Airlines flight 434, which left one person dead in December 1994. He was eventually arrested on February 7, 1995, in Islamabad and transferred to the United States, where he is still serving a life sentence at ADX Florence.

<p>Since his conviction in 1995 for the murders of adolescents Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, Bernardo has been in isolation, locked in an eight by four foot cell, 23 hours a day, for his own safety. Not long after his imprisonment, he confessed to having committed several sexual assaults that terrorized the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. Today, he remains one of the most famous prisoners detained in a Canadian prison.</p>

Paul Bernardo

Since his conviction in 1995 for the murders of adolescents Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, Bernardo has been in isolation, locked in an eight by four foot cell, 23 hours a day, for his own safety. Not long after his imprisonment, he confessed to having committed several sexual assaults that terrorized the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. Today, he remains one of the most famous prisoners detained in a Canadian prison.

<p>Karla Homolka was the wife and accomplice of serial killer Paul Bernardo. After having collaborated with the authorities in Bernardo’s proceedings, and serving a sentence of 12 years for manslaughter, she was released on July 4, 2005. Her responsibility for the death of several young girls, including her own sister Tammy Homolka, drugged, raped, and killed by Bernardo, was later revealed. For that reason, her release caused worry for the Canadian population, and more particularly in Quebec, where she chose to resume her life after being released from prison.</p>

Karla Homolka

Karla Homolka was the wife and accomplice of serial killer Paul Bernardo. After having collaborated with the authorities in Bernardo’s proceedings, and serving a sentence of 12 years for manslaughter, she was released on July 4, 2005. Her responsibility for the death of several young girls, including her own sister Tammy Homolka, drugged, raped, and killed by Bernardo, was later revealed. For that reason, her release caused worry for the Canadian population, and more particularly in Quebec, where she chose to resume her life after being released from prison.

<p>Martin Luther King was an American minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and leading figure in the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s. The passionate anti-discrimination activist pleaded for nonviolent civil disobedience. King was arrested on several occasions, but the most famous occasion took place in 1963, during major demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama. Before being released nine days later, he wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” a document that is today the most quoted and influential of all his writings. King was assassinated in April of 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.</p>

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King was an American minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and leading figure in the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s. The passionate anti-discrimination activist pleaded for nonviolent civil disobedience. King was arrested on several occasions, but the most famous occasion took place in 1963, during major demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama. Before being released nine days later, he wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” a document that is today the most quoted and influential of all his writings. King was assassinated in April of 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

<p>Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a Russian novelist, playwright, and historian. His works denounced the Soviet labour camps and won him the Nobel Prize in literature in 1970. He was first arrested in February of 1945 for having criticized Joseph Stalin in private correspondence with a friend. He was sentenced to eight years in a labour camp. Upon his release in 1956, motivated by the loosening of government control, he published a short novel called One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The novel immediately made him famous, but he was then harassed by the Russian authorities and stripped of his Soviet citizenship in 1974. He lived in the United States until 1994, when he returned to Russia, where his works are now widely published.</p>

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a Russian novelist, playwright, and historian. His works denounced the Soviet labour camps and won him the Nobel Prize in literature in 1970. He was first arrested in February of 1945 for having criticized Joseph Stalin in private correspondence with a friend. He was sentenced to eight years in a labour camp. Upon his release in 1956, motivated by the loosening of government control, he published a short novel called One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The novel immediately made him famous, but he was then harassed by the Russian authorities and stripped of his Soviet citizenship in 1974. He lived in the United States until 1994, when he returned to Russia, where his works are now widely published.

<p>Nelson Mandela was known as one of the world’s most famous statesmen, yet he is also one of the most famous convicts. He spent 27 years in prison in South Africa. Mandela was the leading member of the African National Congress (ANC), which opposed the South African white minority government and its racial segregation policy, apartheid. In 1960, the ANC was banned and four years later, Mandela was found guilty of treason and sentenced to life in prison. Transformed into a worldwide symbol of resistance to racism, he was finally released and became the country’s first black president in 1994, until 1999. Mandela won dozens of awards, notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He died in December of 2013, at the venerable age of 95.</p>

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was known as one of the world’s most famous statesmen, yet he is also one of the most famous convicts. He spent 27 years in prison in South Africa. Mandela was the leading member of the African National Congress (ANC), which opposed the South African white minority government and its racial segregation policy, apartheid. In 1960, the ANC was banned and four years later, Mandela was found guilty of treason and sentenced to life in prison. Transformed into a worldwide symbol of resistance to racism, he was finally released and became the country’s first black president in 1994, until 1999. Mandela won dozens of awards, notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He died in December of 2013, at the venerable age of 95.

<p>Mark David Chapman assassinated John Lennon the night of December 8, 1980, in New York City. He was sentenced to life in prison in June of 1981, and yet, since he pled guilty, he was able to request conditional release after 2000. However, he has been denied release eight times and remains imprisoned at the Wende Correctional Facility, in the State of New York.</p>

Mark David Chapman

Mark David Chapman assassinated John Lennon the night of December 8, 1980, in New York City. He was sentenced to life in prison in June of 1981, and yet, since he pled guilty, he was able to request conditional release after 2000. However, he has been denied release eight times and remains imprisoned at the Wende Correctional Facility, in the State of New York.

<p>Once considered the richest man in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky served a sentence of eight years in prison for fraud and tax evasion. The former director of the oil company Yukos was arrested in October of 2003, when the police stormed his private jet at a Siberian airport. The former communist militant made a fortune during the controversial post-Soviet privatisation of State assets. His supporters maintain that the former magnate’s vertiginous fall is the result of his political ambitions. Khodorkovsky was also found guilty in a subsequent trial on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, but was pardoned by Vladimir Putin and released from jail in December 2013.</p>

Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Once considered the richest man in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky served a sentence of eight years in prison for fraud and tax evasion. The former director of the oil company Yukos was arrested in October of 2003, when the police stormed his private jet at a Siberian airport. The former communist militant made a fortune during the controversial post-Soviet privatisation of State assets. His supporters maintain that the former magnate’s vertiginous fall is the result of his political ambitions. Khodorkovsky was also found guilty in a subsequent trial on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, but was pardoned by Vladimir Putin and released from jail in December 2013.

<p>America’s most famous gangster, Al Capone, was also one of the most famous convicts at the Alcatraz prison, off the coast of San Francisco. The man who controlled the criminal activities in Chicago in the 1920s spent time in various prisons before being moved to Alcatraz in 1934, while serving a sentence for tax fraud. He entered America’s most brutal prison with his usual confidence, but the tight security, routine, and harassment from other convicts destroyed him. The former mafia boss left Alcatraz in 1939 and died penniless, in his home in Florida in 1947.</p>

Al Capone

America’s most famous gangster, Al Capone, was also one of the most famous convicts at the Alcatraz prison, off the coast of San Francisco. The man who controlled the criminal activities in Chicago in the 1920s spent time in various prisons before being moved to Alcatraz in 1934, while serving a sentence for tax fraud. He entered America’s most brutal prison with his usual confidence, but the tight security, routine, and harassment from other convicts destroyed him. The former mafia boss left Alcatraz in 1939 and died penniless, in his home in Florida in 1947.

<p>Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, known as “El Chapo,” is a Mexican drug trafficker who heads the powerful Sinaloa cartel. He was nicknamed El Chapo for his small size of just 1 meter 67. Upon his arrest in February 2014, he was considered the world’s most powerful drug lord. And, in July 2015, he became one of the world’s most famous and Mexico’s most sought after prisoners when he managed to escape a maximum-security prison through a tunnel of over 1.5 kilometre, dug nearly 10 metres deep.</p>

El Chapo

Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, known as “El Chapo,” is a Mexican drug trafficker who heads the powerful Sinaloa cartel. He was nicknamed El Chapo for his small size of just 1 meter 67. Upon his arrest in February 2014, he was considered the world’s most powerful drug lord. And, in July 2015, he became one of the world’s most famous and Mexico’s most sought after prisoners when he managed to escape a maximum-security prison through a tunnel of over 1.5 kilometre, dug nearly 10 metres deep.

<p>Robert Hanssen is a former American FBI double agent, sentenced in 2002 to life in prison for espionage for the USSR and Russia. He was arrested on February 18, 2001, and accused of the sale of secrets to Moscow in exchange for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds over a period of 22 years. His treason was described by the American Department of Justice as the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history.</p>

Robert Hanssen

Robert Hanssen is a former American FBI double agent, sentenced in 2002 to life in prison for espionage for the USSR and Russia. He was arrested on February 18, 2001, and accused of the sale of secrets to Moscow in exchange for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds over a period of 22 years. His treason was described by the American Department of Justice as the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history.

<p>In 2010, the former commander of the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Trenton, the largest Canadian air base, pled guilty to 88 charges, including the murders of Corporal Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison, without parole eligibility for 25 years.</p>

Russell Williams

In 2010, the former commander of the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Trenton, the largest Canadian air base, pled guilty to 88 charges, including the murders of Corporal Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison, without parole eligibility for 25 years.

COURTESY MSN.COM