INMATE LABOR

Allen Clark's House and Limo

Vehicles and Artwork are one thing. How about the gazebo Clark had inmates build at his state home while at New River as warden. Then, when he was promoted to Region 1, that director had it moved there on the state's dime!

Utilizing inmates and some of New River Staff on state time to load the gazebo onto a flatbed (STATE VEHICLE AND STATE GAS) and deliver it to his home in Region 1.

The gazebo was moved from New River shortly before August, 2004.

The gazebo was on the New River warden's house grounds in the side yard. You can still see where it was. 

Mr McRae knows about the gazebo move. But Lt. Hastings who is now Major at Lawtey CI (which is just down the road from New River CI) and the now late Capt. Davison (who supposedly committed suicide just last week after the fiasco of the beating and rape of a female officer at the BOQ) headed it all up. Probably with outside grounds officers Officer Beachum, Officer Chandler, Officer  Chambliss.

Of course Chambliss was the one just sentenced to prison for steroid distribution. There was 6 officers total at that time but A.C. and Frye used the horse squad too to do things like this on state time.

The story was the gazebo went to A.C.'s personal home in Sneads. I am working on getting the inmates' names who built it.

As far as Warden McRae moving his son Christopher McRae from Marion to Union. I know for fact this was reported to the 1-800-GET LEAN to report abuse of state funds etc... in December 04 or January of 05 

Warden McRae used 6 officers on the clock to drive a state vehicle (box truck) to Ocala at Marion CI staff housing where his son, Chris, was an officer just off probation.  He had a personal double wide trailer.

The 6 officers loaded Kris McRae's personal household goods (he is married and had twin babies at the time) into this box truck and drove it back to the Warden's state house which Warden McRae wasn't living in but spared no expense at fixing it up just before this move.

At the state house on 16 in Raiford they used inmates to unload this truck into the state house. Officer Beachum said that the officers were pissed that they had to lug all this furniture for the warden's son, who barely had a year on the job at the time. 

The officer's names were given to the recorded message on the 1-800-get lean line. It was Chandler, Beachum, and others from the horse squad.

The problem with this is staff housing is for essential personnel, those who would have to respond to any type of emergency at the institution like SRT teams, shotgun squads, escape teams, key human resource people: arsenal sgt. nurses, psychologists, doctors, then of course Majors, Colonels, assistant Wardens, Wardens. etc... then correctional officers that were on a waiting list to get staff housing as people transferred etc.

However, Kris stayed in this warden's house, which was assigned to his father, for free with his wife and twins. All of us here pay rent and utilities. Admittedly very low but we all pay. Except Kris McRae because warden's get their staff house free. It comes with the job.

Then shortly after it was reported, McRae was forced to move him from that house and Warden Rathman from FSP moved in. But McRae put money into another house that had to have a furnace and ac installed and a lot of other work, drywall, paint etc because this was a ball player's pad who had moved with ac. They took that stuff when they transferred.

Not sure of the dollar amount to fix it up, but I know there were officers on the waiting list from New River, uci, fsp, officers who had lost their homes due to fire, hurricanes etc that again had to take a back seat.

If I know inmates they have put some sort of marking on this gazebo like their name and dc# in an area that could only have been put there by the builder.

There wasn't a day goes by that stories of AC and his croonies ripping off the state wasn't circulating, just that no one saw it. McRae was no different.

Mr. Trespalacious, assistant warden at New River, took Warden McRae's personal car to his state house and had an inmate put in a new air conditioning unit and on another occasion he had the inmate put in a new motor for the window on the passenger side.

I personally have my doubts about Davison's story of suicide. He was in really deep with the ac crew. He knew way too much to be charged with a rape and not have something to deal with, with FBI or local authorities.

"fearing retribution in the triangle"
please don't post my name or email

Investigation of prisons widens
http://www.stpetersburgtimes.com/2005/10/11/State/Investigation_of_pris.shtml

The state seizes six prison employees' vehicles that may have been repaired or built with inmate labor.

By STEVE BOUSQUET, Times Staff Writer
Published October 11, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - State law enforcement agents have seized vehicles and utility trailers belonging to six prison administrators and guards in a widening investigation of allegations that prison employees misused inmate labor and state equipment.

Search warrants recently executed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in six North Florida counties reveal a new phase of an investigation by FDLE and FBI agents that has placed the Corrections Department and leader James Crosby under intense scrutiny.

The prison system already is reeling from accusations of illegal steroid use among guards; indictments stemming from theft in a prison recycling program; the apparent suicide of a guard facing rape accusations; and an allegation that a former minor league pitcher held a no-show prison library job so he could play for the Apalachee Correctional Institution softball team.

The new documents show:

--Investigators have seized vehicles belonging to two high-ranking prison officials and one former official, Allen "A.C." Clark, to examine the vehicles for repairs that may have been done using prison labor or state equipment.

--A homemade trailer, designed for transporting lawn equipment, was seized from the Marion County home of a prison guard.

--A former inmate who served time at the Florida State Prison and nearby New River Correctional Institution kept a private journal detailing work he says he was ordered to do on trailers for guards' personal use. The ex-inmate drew investigators a picture of a trailer he said he built.

"The items that have been seized in connection with the search warrants are possible evidence for use in court," said FDLE spokesman Tom Berlinger.

One of the seized vehicles belongs to Clark, the former North Florida regional prison director who resigned in August. Pickup trucks were seized from Col. Richard Allen Frye Jr., an administrator at Apalachee Correctional Institution in Sneads, and Lamar Griffis, assistant warden at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton.

Details of search warrants, drawn from public records, show agents are interested in examining the radiator equipment and battery in Clark's 1993 Jeep Wrangler; an air conditioning unit, fan belt and battery in Frye's 1973 Ford pickup; and a towing hitch and trailer hitch from Griffis' 2001 Chevrolet pickup.

"I'm busy," Griffis said when contacted at work Monday. "I don't want to talk to you."

Clark and Frye could not be reached for comment.

None of the officers has been charged with wrongdoing.

Frye, 36, joined the prison system 12 years ago after working as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps security detail assigned to former President George H. W. Bush. He was suspended for 30 days in 1997 for destroying evidence, giving false testimony and other violations, but he appealed the suspension, was cleared and won full back pay.

In Frye's most recent job evaluation, in July, supervisor Al Solomon gave him outstanding marks, praising him as a "loyal and dedicated employee" and "a proven leader."

At the heart of the latest revelations are statements by a former inmate who told investigators he was required to build 10-foot trailers, using state-owned equipment in a prison welding shop for the personal use of correctional officers at the Florida State Prison in Starke and New River Correctional Institution in Raiford.

Records obtained by the St. Petersburg Times from the Marion County clerk's office include a photograph of a homemade trailer with extended metal sides made of steel tubing and a spare tire on the passenger's side.

The Times is not identifying the ex-inmate because law enforcement officials fear for his safety as a result of evidence he is providing.

The former inmate said he built a utility trailer for a correctional officer, Lt. Bobby Ruise, and that he kept a written journal in which he recorded the work, listing 14 dates in late 2002. He told agents he welded his name or initials in the trailers he built - leaving a permanent record of the illicit handiwork.

The former inmate told FDLE that Ruise told him "he needed a utility trailer to transport lawn equipment and supplies for his (Ruise's) lawn care business."

The ex-inmate told agents that Ruise supplied him with rims, tires, fenders, jack, winch and a light kit for the trailer.

FDLE agents confirmed that Ruise has a homemade trailer registered with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles at his Citra home.

Reached at work Monday at a prison work camp in Levy County, Ruise said, "I don't care to answer any questions at this time."

Asked about allegations of a trailer made with state-owned property, Ruise said: "I don't know anything about it. I don't even own one."

Two more search warrants were issued in Bradford and Union counties for utility trailers fitting a similar description, but the identities of the employees could not be confirmed.

The affidavit says FDLE Inspector Travis Lawson and FBI Special Agent Alexander McDonald were steered to the former inmate in June by Theodore Foray, a former correctional officer who told agents he ordered the ex-inmate to remove Department of Corrections identification numbers from a fiberglass ladder.

"Subsequent to the removal of the identification numbers, the ladder disappeared," the affidavit states.

Foray, 45, of Lake Butler and another former prison guard, Paul Lamar Miller, 32, of Starke, were among several prison employees accused in June of conspiring to steal property and embezzle money from a prison recycling program.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the two men worked for the Florida State Prison/New River Correctional recycling program and sold bales of crushed aluminum cans and other materials to a Jacksonville company.

Foray was indicted on June 6. The FDLE affidavit says Foray was interviewed by authorities June 24.

--Times staff writers Jim Ross and Curtis Krueger and researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.

[Last modified October 11, 2005, 01:57:17]

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