# Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles

The Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles (MDC Los Angeles) is a United States federal prison in downtown Los Angeles, California which holds male and female inmates prior to and during court proceedings, as well as inmates serving short sentences. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

## History

The 272,000-square-foot (25,300 m$^2$) prison opened in December 1988 with a cost of $36 million, making Los Angeles the fifth U.S. city with a downtown federal prison. MDC Los Angeles had a distinct design, referring to housing areas as rooms rather than cells and not using iron bars on its cell doors. It had a special design using plate glass windows, balconies, and atriums. Kim Murphy of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the building has "more the look of a downtown office building than a prison." It was the first BOP prison to completely ban smoking.
Prior to the opening of MDC Los Angeles, Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island housed the Los Angeles area pretrial inmates. This situation caused overcrowding at FCI Terminal Island.
The opening of MDC Los Angeles allowed prisoners whose trials are pending to be housed just two blocks from the U.S. District Courthouse, ending the time-consuming process of transporting them back and forth down the Harbor Freeway each day court is in session. The U.S. Marshal's Service saves at least $200,000 a year by not having to transport the usual 250 to 300 prisoners a week from FCI Terminal Island and the federal public defender's office saves $18,000 a year in telephone bills alone because it no longer has to rely on clients calling person-to-person collect from FCI Terminal Island.

## Programs

Various services are available to inmates at MDC Los Angeles, including drug treatment and education programs, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, GED and ESL classes, and correspondence classes. Inmates may meet with a chaplain or a priest upon request.

## Notable inmates (current and former)

| Inmate Name | Register Number | Status | Details |
| Jose Cabrera Sablan | 90470-011 | Deceased. | Pleaded guilty to murdering Federal Correctional Officer Jose Rivera at the United States Penitentiary, Atwater on June 20, 2008; accomplice James Leon Guerrero also pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence. |
| Domino Harvey | 27481-112 | Released May 31, 2005 | Accused of trafficking methamphetamine, released for pretrial purposes but died a month after posting bail from an overdose. |
| Vianna Roman | 64108-112 | Roman is currently at Victorville Medium I FCI | Daughter and son-in-law of imprisoned Mexican Mafia kingpin Danny Roman; indicted in 2012 for allegedly receiving orders from Roman and directing gang activities which include extortion, robbery, drug trafficking and murder. |
| Aaron Soto | 64072-112 | Soto was released in 2018 | Daughter and son-in-law of imprisoned Mexican Mafia kingpin Danny Roman; indicted in 2012 for allegedly receiving orders from Roman and directing gang activities which include extortion, robbery, drug trafficking and murder. |
| Patrick Naughton | 15661-112 | Released on bail December 22, 1999 | Software developer convicted in 2000 for traveling in interstate commerce with the intent to have sex with a minor when he took a Disney private jet from Seattle to Los Angeles hoping to meet up with a minor but was actually an undercover FBI agent |
| Anthony Pellicano | 21568-112 | Released in 2019 | Convicted of possessing homemade firearms |
| Paul F "Max Hardcore" Little | 44902-112 | Transferred to FCI La Tuna, released in 2011 | American porn producer, director and performer. Was convicted on obscenity charges and sentenced to 46 months in prison. |
| Stephen William Beal | 76346-112 | Serving a life sentence without parole. | Convicted for bombing an Aliso Viejo spa which killed his ex-girlfriend. |
| Irv Rubin | 20965-112 | committed suicide in 2002 while awaiting trial | Charged with Federal terrorism. Conspiracy to bomb up a mosque, the offices of US Congressman Darrell Issa, and the offices of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. |
| Paul Anthony Ciancia | 67089-112 | Serving a life sentence, currently at USP Victorville | Pleaded guilty for the 2013 Los Angeles International Airport shooting. |
| Iouri Mikhel | 23675-112 | Sentenced to death on March 12, 2007, Commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole on December 23, 2024, now at USP Terre Haute | Kidnapping five people, demanding more than $5.5 million in ransom from relatives and associates, and killing the kidnapped victims. The bodies were tied with weights and dumped in a reservoir near Yosemite National Park. |
| Jurijus Kadamovas | 21050-112 | Sentenced to death on March 12, 2007, Commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole on December 23, 2024, now at USP Terre Haute | Kidnapping five people, demanding more than $5.5 million in ransom from relatives and associates, and killing the kidnapped victims. The bodies were tied with weights and dumped in a reservoir near Yosemite National Park. |
| Lil Durk | 43251-511 | Awaiting trial | Arrested and extradited from Florida for a murder-for-hire against Quando Rondo. |
| Tahawwur Hussain Rana | 22829-424 | serving a 14 year sentence, scheduled for release in 2026. Currently fighting extradition to India. | Convicted for providing material to terrorist organizations . |
| Ridge Alkonis | 47049-007 | Released January 12, 2024. | Convicted for manslaughter in Japan. |