Retaliation? It’s real.

Sending you all an update on my friend in a Kentucky federal prison.

The situation is this, my friend, we’ll call him B, was convicted of ‘possession and distribution of child pornography’. Which would be appalling IF his spare computer, which he never used, which was in fact a gift to his ex-girlfriend, didn’t “call ICAC directly” and ask for porn. Ummmmmmmm, sound fishy anyone?

B is a smart guy, but like us all, was shocked at the charge for this crime he didn’t commit, intend to commit, or had any predisposition to commit. He chose to run. We know of others who have chosen this. One of our member’s brothers ran and chose ‘death by cop’ over this farce. Horrific for her, and all of us.

But B had a plan, and someone to help him. Until the last minute, when that someone backed out. Too late for B, he had cut his ankle monitor. Rock and a hard place that one is. So he did what most of us would do in an emergency…he went home, to his parent’s house, he is an only child.

Not thinking at the time about how that would then put his beloved parents on the hook, which it did! His parents were charged. He was beaten literally to within an inch of his life even though he did not resist when they located him.

But this was just the beginning. B took a plea deal on the promise that the prosecution would release his parents from legal repercussions, my guess is he was not emotionally or physically recovered at the time of this agreement. The prosecution did lower the charges but still charged both his mother and father with a misdemeanor. They each did 6 months of probation. The prosecution also put a lien on the family home, which was in asset forfeiture when B ran. Now his parents cannot afford to sell, nor can they afford to stay. They are in dire straights, to say the least, and have been for some two years now.

B, his parents, lawyers, and myself have all been trying to get visitation for his parents. They have not been allowed to see him since he was transferred to the Ashland Correctional Institute, over a year ago now. Seems the warden there believes these two old folks (76 & 82) are a threat to the security of his prison. I can see his point, I mean the man is bedridden, with bed sores…. and the woman has a feisty country twang (she is from Tennessee!). I too would be worried if I were a warden with armed guards.

Of course, these reasons are just a very thin smoke screen to blatant retaliation. This warden has told B to his face that he will never again see his parents.

In truth that is quite likely, especially for his father, as I am unsure how he is holding on month after month.

We have had two state legislators inquire on their behalf to the warden, and multiple BOP complaints filed. We’ve even penned a letter to Mr Biden. Unlikely to change anything but that’s where we are at.

The latest retaliation was to forge a rumor that B was planning to assassinate the warden himself. Ummmmm, can you say Bullshit?!?! B was placed in the SHU for 90 days due to the insubstantiated rumor. No retaliation there! He lost 40 pounds during his stay. He was finally released yesterday. The stint was obviously an attempt to break the guy. They might have succeeded but for his very hard head.

And still – elderly, frail parents are not allowed to visit their only child. At all.