Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles

Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles
Interactive map of Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles
Location
StatusOperational
Security classAdministrative facility (all security levels)
Population980
OpenedDecember 1988 (1988-12)
Managed byFederal Bureau of Prisons

The Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles (MDC Los Angeles) is a 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.[1]

History

The 272,000-square-foot (25,300 m2) prison opened in December 1988 with a cost of $36 million (equivalent to $98 million in 2025), 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."[2] It was the first BOP prison to completely ban smoking.[2]

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.[2]

The opening of MDC Los Angeles allowed prisoners whose trials are pending to be housed near Federal Court, ending the time-consuming process of transporting hundreds of prisoners a week back and forth down the Harbor Freeway each day court is in session.[2]

When the facility first opened, federal court proceedings took place at the nearby Spring Street Courthouse, located two blocks away.[2] In 1992, a second federal courthouse opened inside the Roybal Building built adjacent to MDC Los Angeles. In 2016, the federal courts at Spring Street relocated to the new First Street Courthouse, located six blocks away.

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.[3]

Notable inmates (current and former)

Inmate Name Register Number Status Details
Jose Cabrera Sablan 90470-011 Died in custody on November 14, 2018. 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.[4]
Domino Harvey 27481-112 Released from custody on May 31, 2005. Accused of trafficking methamphetamine, released for pretrial purposes but died a month after posting bail from an overdose.[5]
Vianna Roman 64108-112 Released from custody on October 10, 2025. 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.[6]
Aaron Soto 64072-112 Released from custody on February 27, 2018.
Anthony Pellicano 21568-112 Transferred to FCI Terminal Island.

Released from custody on March 22, 2019.

 Private investigator and fixer to Hollywood celebrities including Michael Jackson. Sentenced to 30 months in prison for possession of explosives as well as 15 years for wiretapping, racketeering, conspiracy, and wire fraud.[7]
Paul F "Max Hardcore" Little 44902-112 Transferred to FCI La Tuna.

Released from custody on July 19, 2011.

 American porn producer, director and performer. Convicted on obscenity charges and sentenced to 46 months in prison.
Stephen William Beal 76346-112 Transferred to USP Victorville.

Serving a life sentence.

 Convicted for bombing an Aliso Viejo spa, killing his ex-girlfriend.[8][9][10][11]
Irv Rubin 20965-112 Died in custody on November 13, 2002.[12] Former chairman of the Jewish Defense League. Arrested in 2001 for allegedly plotting to bomb the office of US congressman Darrell Issa and the King Fahd Mosque.[13] Rubin committed suicide in 2002 while awaiting trial.[14]
Paul Anthony Ciancia 67089-112 Transferred to FCI Atlanta.

Serving a life sentence.

 Perpetrator of the 2013 Los Angeles International Airport shooting, in which Ciancia killed one TSA agent and injured several other people.[15]
Iouri Mikhel 23675-112 Transferred to USP Terre Haute.

Sentenced to death on March 12, 2007.[16] Commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole on December 23, 2024.[17]

 Soviet-American serial killers convicted of kidnapping five people for ransom between 2001 and 2002. Mikhel and Kadamovas murdered the five victims and dumped their bodies in Yosemite National Park.[18]
Jurijus Kadamovas 21050-112
Lil Durk 43251-511 Held awaiting trial. Rapper accused in a murder-for-hire plot which injured fellow rapper Quando Rondo and killed his cousin.[19]
Tahawwur Hussain Rana 22829-424 Served a 14 year sentence; released on April 8, 2025 and extradited to India the following day.[20] Pakistani-Canadian businessman accused of planning the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people. Rana was convicted in the United States of providing material support for the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.[21] After serving his sentence in the United States, he was extradited to India, where he faces the death penalty.[22]
Ridge Alkonis 47049-007 Released from custody January 12, 2024. Former United States Navy officer who pleadedguilty to negligent driving in a Japanese court after killing two Japanese citizens in a car accident.[23] Alkonis was sentenced to three years in prison, with half to be served in Japan and half in the United States, but he was released without conditions shortly after being transferred to the United States.[24]
Daniel Jongyon Park 87519-511 Died in custody on June 24, 2025. Accused of supplying ammonium nitrate used in the 2025 Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing. Park attempted to flee to Poland, where he was arrested, but he committed suicide shortly after being returned to the United States. [25][26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MDC Los Angeles". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Murphy, Kim (January 3, 1989). "U.S. Opens a High-Rise Prison in Civic Center". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Bosworth, Mary (2002). The U.S. Federal Prison System. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. pp. 253–254. ISBN 978-0761923046. 253.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Brian (June 26, 2015). "No death penalty for inmate accused of fatally stabbing Atwater prison guard Jose Rivera". ABC30 Action News. KSFN-TV Fresno, CA. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Weiner, Allison Hope (2005-10-09). "A Lust for Life and Danger". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  6. ↑ Martinez, Michael (December 6, 2012). "Feds bust Los Angeles gang controlled by inmate". CNN. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  7. ↑ Maddaus, Gene (22 March 2019). "Hollywood Fixer Anthony Pellicano Released From Federal Prison". Variety. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Bomb-making materials found at home of man amid probe into explosion that killed ex". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  9. ↑ "Death strikes at a beauty spa in Southern California". NBC News. 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  10. ↑ Sharp, Julie (2024-01-19). "Long Beach Man sentenced to life for Aliso Viejo day spa explosion, killing ex-girlfriend - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  11. ↑ "He killed his ex-girlfriend with a bomb in an Aliso Viejo spa. He'll spend life in prison". Los Angeles Times. 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  12. ↑ Levy, Mike (21 November 2002). "Rubin Laid to Rest, But Not Controversy". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Jewish Extremists Arrested in Failed Bombing Conspiracy". Southern Poverty Law Center. 5 March 2002. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "JDL Leader Dies After Suicide Attempt - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 5 February 2003. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Gonzales, Richard (8 November 2016). "Los Angeles Airport Shooter Sentenced To Life In Prison". WAMC. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Two men sentenced to death in California reservoir bodies case". Orange County Register. 12 March 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Kavi, Aishvarya (23 December 2024). "The Full List of Biden's Death Row Commutations". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Death sentence upheld against 2 men in California killings". The Seattle Times. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Ali, Amina (2024-11-14). "Lil Durk Extradited To L.A. Federal Prison In Murder-For-Hire Case". HOT 97. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  20. ↑ "Extradition of Tahawwur Rana to India". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  21. ↑ "Tahawwur Hussain Rana: 26/11 Mumbai attack accused reaches India after extradition from US". www.bbc.com. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Goudie, Chuck (28 April 2025). "Convicted terrorist from Chicago fights execution in India". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Ridge Alkonis: The sailor who stoked Japanese resentment against the US". 18 February 2024.
  24. ↑ Fadulu, Lola (14 January 2024). "U.S. Releases Navy Officer Imprisoned After Causing Fatal Crash in Japan". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Washington State Man Arrested on Federal Charges Alleging He Provided Material Support to Palm Springs Fertility Clinic Bomber". www.justice.gov. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "Accused Palm Springs bomb accomplice jumped to his death from prison balcony, sources say". Los Angeles Times. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-08-03.

34°03′14″N 118°14′18″W / 34.0538°N 118.2382°W / 34.0538; -118.2382

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