FCI Milan (low-security)
FCI Milan is a low-security federal correctional institution for men in Milan, Michigan, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 1,543 people as of November 2025. The institution's main number is 734-439-1511.
Location
Physical location: MILAN, MI 48160
Mailing address: 4004 EAST ARKONA ROAD, MILAN, MI 48160
Visitation
There are many specific rules and procedures to be aware of when you're considering visiting the institution. Read more on our Visitation Guide.
For full, current visiting rules and scheduling, always check the institution's official page on the Bureau of Prisons website: Official BOP Page.
Daily life and programs
Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, FCI Milan is a low-security federal correctional institution for male inmates in southeastern Michigan. The facility is located mostly in York Charter Township near the city of Milan, situated roughly 45 miles southwest of Detroit, 15 miles south of Ann Arbor, and 30 miles north of Toledo. The complex spans about 332 acres with 59 buildings totaling roughly 504,200 square feet, and it includes an adjacent Federal Detention Center (FDC) that holds pretrial and holdover detainees separate from the low-security serving population. The institution was activated on April 6, 1933, originally as a Federal Detention Farm. Since its opening, its mission has shifted repeatedly over the decades, involving a period housing female inmates from 1933 to 1939 as well as years operating at medium security. It also holds a singular place in state history as the site of the only federal execution ever carried out in Michigan, which was the 1938 hanging of bank robber Anthony (Tony) Chebatoris. Recent population figures put the count near 1,500 men.
The facility is designed for roughly 1,495 to 1,503 men and enforces the strict daily rules typical of a BOP low. Daily life at the low follows a fixed institutional routine built around counts, work assignments, and programming. Former inmate Billy McFarland, who was held at Milan as register number 91186-054, described a schedule that begins early, with weekday breakfast served roughly 6 to 7 a.m., lunch around 10:30 a.m., and dinner near 4:30 p.m. Public accounts of his time there describe standard low-security features such as controlled movement, work details, and access to recreation, education, and religious services. McFarland reported working in a sewage/water treatment plant. These accounts also document periods of solitary confinement tied to disciplinary infractions and a bout with COVID-19 during the pandemic.
The institution runs several signature programs. Its Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) is a 500-hour residential treatment track that, on successful completion, can yield up to a 12-month sentence reduction plus additional halfway-house time, and admission is competitive because of the program's popularity. UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) operates a metal-specialty plant at Milan that employs on the order of 240 inmates, supported by a pre-industrial training program for those awaiting a plant assignment. Milan also hosts the Life Connections Program, an 18-month voluntary multi-faith restorative-justice residential program offered at only a small number of federal sites, and it is noted for a partnership with Milan High School that lets inmates earn an actual high school diploma, a credential the BOP describes as unique to this institution.
Over its history, the low FCI in Milan has housed various high-profile inmates. These individuals have included Fyre Festival fraudster Billy McFarland, Volkswagen emissions-scandal engineer Oliver Schmidt, hacktivist Jeremy Hammond, and convicted Baltimore police sergeant Wayne Jenkins. Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was also housed at the facility after his 2013 racketeering conviction, before his transfer to a facility in Oklahoma. The adjacent detention center has separately held pretrial defendants, a distinction worth keeping straight from the low-security serving population. These defendants have included accused Sinaloa Cartel figure Vicente Zambada Niebla and attempted airliner bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was later sent to the federal supermax ADX Florence to serve his sentence. Safety at the facility drew national attention on January 2, 2019, when inmate Christian Maire was beaten and stabbed to death by three other inmates, all of whom were later convicted of second-degree murder and moved to ADX Florence.
First-hand accounts
First-person accounts and reporting about life at this facility. Experiences are individual and may not reflect current conditions.
- Fraudster Billy McFarland's Life in Prison at FCI Milan: Solitary Confinement, Sewage Plant Work, COVID - A&E, reporting McFarland's first-hand account of his time at FCI Milan (register 91186-054)
- Fyre Festival Co-Founder Billy McFarland Gives First Post-Prison Interview - Live for Live Music, McFarland speaking first-hand about his release from FCI Milan
Notable inmates
| Name | Sentence | Offense | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billy McFarland | 6 years (register 91186-054); released 2022 | Wire fraud (Fyre Festival), defrauding investors of roughly $26-27 million | c. 2018-2022 |
| Kwame Kilpatrick[1] | 28 years (commuted by President Trump in Jan 2021); register 44678-039 | Racketeering, mail/wire fraud, extortion (former Detroit mayor) | Housed at Milan after 2013 conviction before transfer to FCI El Reno, Oklahoma |
| Oliver Schmidt | 7 years (register 09786-104); released/deported 2020 | Conspiracy in the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal | c. 2018-2020 |
| Jeremy Hammond | 10 years (register 18729-424); released March 2021 | Computer fraud (Anonymous / Stratfor hack) | released 2021 |
| Wayne Jenkins | 25 years (register 62928-037); release scheduled c. 2037 | Racketeering, robbery, overtime fraud and planting evidence (former Baltimore Police sergeant, Gun Trace Task Force) | serving |
| Drew Drechsel | 10 years, 1 month (register 73733-018); release scheduled March 2029 | Child pornography and enticement (American Ninja Warrior 2019 winner, later disqualified) | serving (pleaded guilty 2023) |
| Tommy G. Thompson | Indefinite civil contempt confinement (register 07332-104) | Civil contempt of court (SS Central America shipwreck treasure recovery dispute) | held since 2015 |
| Derrick Evans | 3 months (register 24839-509); released October 2022 | Civil disorder (January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol breach; former West Virginia delegate) | 2022 |
References
- ↑ "Kwame Kilpatrick". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.