FCI Otisville (minimum-security camp)

Male

Gender

Minimum

Security Level

~60 (camp)

Population (Nov. 2025)

The Federal Prison Camp, Otisville is a minimum-security federal prison camp for male inmates in Otisville, New York. It sits adjacent to FCI Otisville (medium-security) and shares the same campus in the hills of Orange County. The Federal Bureau of Prisons administers both facilities. The camp holds approximately 60 men.

The camp carries a well-established reputation for two distinct characteristics: it accommodates Orthodox and observant Jewish inmates more comprehensively than almost any other federal facility, and it has housed a succession of high-profile white-collar defendants, among them Michael Cohen, Billy McFarland, Michael Avenatti, and Mike Sorrentino.

Overview

The camp functions as a satellite of FCI Otisville, though the two facilities are operationally distinct. The FCI is a fenced medium-security institution. The camp is open: there is no perimeter wall and no fence around the housing area, and men sleep in dormitory bunks rather than individual cells. Minimum-security camps of this type are designed to hold low-risk inmates who are either nearing the end of longer sentences or serving short sentences in their entirety. The men are assigned work details on the grounds; at Otisville those assignments have included warehouse work and operating the sewage-treatment plant.

Otisville sits approximately 70 miles northwest of New York City, with a drive from Manhattan of just over an hour. That proximity keeps the camp within reach of families in the metropolitan area, and it is one practical reason why federal judges and the Bureau of Prisons designate New York-area defendants to Otisville rather than to more distant facilities. The combination of its location, relatively relaxed physical environment, and religious programming has earned the camp recurring coverage in the national press as a destination for defendants from New York's financial and professional communities.

Religious Accommodations

Otisville is the closest thing the federal system has to a de facto facility for observant Jewish inmates. The Bureau of Prisons does not formally designate it as such, but in practice the camp has developed a depth of kosher and ritual support that other federal institutions do not offer.

A full-time Jewish chaplain is stationed at the facility, which is unusual in the federal system, where most religious staffing rotates on a contract or part-time basis. The chaplain leads weekly Shabbat services and oversees holiday observances throughout the Jewish calendar year. The kitchen supports kosher observance through two parallel arrangements: inmates receive commercially prepared, prepackaged kosher trays as their daily option, and a separate kosher kitchen is available where men can prepare Sabbath and holiday meals from scratch. The facility holds Passover Seders in the cafeteria, complete with Haggadahs and kosher wine.

The combination of a resident chaplain, scratch-cooked Shabbat and holiday meals, full holiday observance, and institutional familiarity with the rhythms of Jewish religious practice is what built the camp's reputation among observant defendants and their families. Defense attorneys representing Orthodox or traditionally observant clients have long cited Otisville as a preferred designation request precisely because the infrastructure already exists there and does not need to be negotiated facility by facility.

Notable Inmates

The camp has held several high-profile white-collar offenders over the years, a pattern that has reinforced its national profile.

Michael Cohen, who served as personal attorney to President Donald Trump, was designated to the Otisville camp in May 2019 after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. Reporting at the time confirmed he was assigned to the minimum-security camp rather than the fenced medium-security FCI on the same campus. He was released to home confinement in May 2020 amid concerns about COVID-19 risk within federal facilities.

Billy McFarland, the organizer of the failed Fyre Festival, was convicted of wire fraud and sentenced to six years in federal prison. He served a portion of that sentence at the Otisville camp, where his work assignments included warehouse duty and the sewage-treatment plant. During his time there, prison staff discovered he was in possession of a prohibited recording device. He was placed in the special housing unit and subsequently transferred to a higher-security facility, ending his stay at the camp.

Michael Avenatti, the attorney who represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels in proceedings against President Trump, was designated to the Otisville minimum-security camp following his federal convictions for extortion and fraud. His presence at the camp continued the pattern of high-profile legal professionals and public figures serving time at the facility.

Mike Sorrentino, the reality television personality known as "The Situation" from the series Jersey Shore, served eight months at Otisville after being convicted of tax evasion. Following his release, he worked publicly as an addiction-recovery advocate.

Location and Visitation

The camp is located at Two Mile Drive, Otisville, New York 10963. Mail to inmates uses the same street address with the federal prison camp designation.

Visiting rules at the camp follow standard Bureau of Prisons procedure. Visitors must be approved in advance through a background check process administered by the institution. Visits are contact visits conducted in a supervised room on designated days. The Bureau of Prisons does not permit conjugal visits at any federal facility, including this camp. For current visiting days, hours, and approved visitor application procedures, consult the institution's official page on the Bureau of Prisons website: Official BOP Page. See also the Visitation Guide.

See also

• FCI Otisville (medium-security)
• Index of Federal Prison Facilities
• Bureau of Prisons Classification Methods