LAURENCE KESTERSON / Staff Photographer
Vincent J. Fumo (right) , former Pennsylvania state senator, arrives with his entourage at the federal prison in Ashland, Ky., to begin serving his 55-month sentence for corruption.
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Fumo checks in to prison in Kentucky
ASHLAND, Ky. - Former Pennsylvania State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, his head held high, walked from a car to the front door of a federal prison camp here yesterday morning, surrendering as scheduled to begin his 55-month sentence for corruption.
Fumo, dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, arrived at 9:20 a.m., stepping out of a black SUV. He was accompanied by several friends and his son, Vincent Jr. He stepped deliberately to the main entrance, moving past a billowing U.S. flag, and was then directed to go inside through a side door.
His long-expected arrival at prison was over in less than a minute.
News reporters were kept about 70 yards away, off the federal property that surrounds the prison installation here.
Fumo's arrival put a period to a career in which he was a dominant political force in Harrisburg and Philadelphia for much of the last three decades. In March, he was convicted of 137 counts of mail and wire fraud, tax offenses, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.
Since his sentencing in July, Fumo had been scheduled to report to federal custody yesterday. He sought to serve his time at the prison in Lewisburg, Pa., about 60 miles north of Harrisburg, which the judge endorsed.
But the decision rested with the Bureau of Prisons, which opted for Ashland. Fumo's attorneys fought his assignment to Ashland, contending the 525-mile trip would be hard on his fiancée and grown children.
What's officially called the Federal Correctional Institution Ashland comprises two prisons, one beside the other, both set in rolling green hills just outside this city of 22,000 people.
The main prison is a low-security institution that houses male inmates. Next to that is a less-restrictive (minimum-security) camp. Shortly before Fumo arrived, prison officials confirmed that he was being billeted to the camp, like many other white-collar criminals serving short sentences.
"Fumo could have done a lot worse," said Steve Vincent, who served two years at the Ashland prison and now runs Federal Prison Consultant Services, advising defendants and lawyers on life behind bars.
One advantage of serving time at Ashland, Vincent said, is a program that allows inmates to work outside at a nearby government forest, under the supervision of park rangers. The only drawback to the Ashland camp, Vincent said, is that it has a fence. Many federal camps don't.
Earlier, Ashland prison officials denied The Inquirer's request for a tour of the facilities.
With time off for good behavior, and for enrollment in a treatment program - Fumo said he needed to overcome addictions to alcohol and an antianxiety medication - the former lawmaker could be released in three years.
From the outside, the prison camp doesn't look particularly intimidating. It's a low-slung building of steel and concrete, its fence topped by a coil of razor wire. On Saturday evening, a group of inmates could be seen playing basketball on the grounds.
The city of Ashland is on the Ohio River, close to the borders of Ohio and West Virginia, in the highlands of northeast Kentucky. The prison is among the area's larger employers.
Contact staff writer Jeff Gammage at 215-854-2415 or jgammage@phillynews.com.
