Federal Inmate Sentenced to additional prison time for escaping from Atlanta’s Federal Penitentiary Prison Camp

ATLANTA – Federal inmate Justin B. Stinson has been sentenced to an additional one year and three months in prison for escaping from the United States Penitentiary’s minimum-security camp in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Stinson’s escapes were specifically designed to smuggle contraband back inside the prison camp,” said U. S. Attorney John A. Horn. “Prison contraband presents significant security risks to both inmates and guards while adding to the illicit economy.”

“Prison can be viewed by inmates as being either retributive or rehabilitative. For federal inmate Stinson, whose initial prison sentence began only in 2015, prison clearly shows no sign of being rehabilitative. While smuggled contraband within our prisons remains a concern for all of law enforcement due to its destabilizing influence on the inmate population, the FBI will continue to take a particularly keen interest in those inmates and others responsible for smuggling smart phones into a prison environment because of the vast harm and continued criminal conduct that they afford the inmates,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.

According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia (“USP Atlanta”) is a medium-security federal prison for male inmates operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. USP Atlanta also has a detention center for pre-trial inmates and a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the Atlanta Police Department (“APD”) have been engaged in an investigation to combat instances when USP Atlanta inmates temporarily escape from the prison camp to obtain contraband to smuggle back into the prison or to visit nearby restaurants, hotels, and residences.

In March 2015, Stinson was sentenced to four years, three months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. From August 2016 to February 2017, Stinson was assigned to serve his time at USP Atlanta’s minimum-security camp.

On February 3, 2017, law enforcement officers conducted surveillance along the USP Atlanta’s prison fence line near New Town Circle. Just after 9:00 p.m., Stinson escaped from USP Atlanta by climbing through a hole in one prison fence and then climbing over USP Atlanta’s outer prison fence. Thereafter, Stinson retrieved a large black duffel bag from the occupant of a stopped car on New Town Circle and began walking back toward USP Atlanta. The FBI then arrested Stinson from a location outside of USP Atlanta’s confines. The FBI also recovered from Stinson a cellular telephone, a pair of scissors, two 1.75 liters of Jose Cuervo tequila, two cartons of Newport cigarettes, four boxes of Black and Mild cigars, and various food items.

On April 20, 2017, Stinson, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of escaping from federal custody. Stinson was sentenced to a one year and three month term of imprisonment (to be served after his current four year, three month prison term).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Atlanta Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis and Timothy Lee prosecuted the case.

For further information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga