FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        CRM
TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1996                           (202) 514-2007
                                             TDD  (202) 514-1888


        FORMER CHIEF OF SECURITY FOR STATE OF OHIO PRISON 
         INDICTED ON 3 FELONY CHARGES IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

     CLEVELAND, OHIO -- The Department of Justice announced that a
federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a three-count
indictment today charging William T. Mack, the former Chief of
Security and highest-ranking uniformed officer at the Mansfield
Correctional Institution (MANCI) in Mansfield, Ohio, with mail and
wire fraud.  

     The indictment charged that, during late 1994 and early 1995,
Mack sought to enrich himself by using his official position as the
Chief of Security to obtain gifts and favors from an inmate named
James D. Crow, including a round-trip airline ticket from
Cleveland, Ohio, to Sarasota, Florida.  Mack also is charged with
entering into a series of secret and unauthorized business
transactions with Crow in the hopes of securing long-term financial
gain.  During the same time, the indictment charged Mack gave
preferential treatment to Crow, including private, unsupervised
visits and a letter on official prison letterhead advocating Crow's
early release from prison.  Mack, 53, faces up to 15 years in
prison and a fine of $750,000 if convicted of these charges.

     The indictment stemmed from an ongoing investigation into
corruption and other misconduct at the Mansfield Correctional
Institution.  The investigation is being conducted jointly by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and
the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.  The cases
are being prosecuted by the Public Integrity Section of the
Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. 
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96-373