Eight federal inmates once sentenced to death for violent murders, including killings of fellow prisoners, gang-related stabbings and the brutal slaying of two campers, have been moved to the federal “supermax” prison in Colorado, according to the Justice Department.
The transfer marks one of the first major actions by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she works to counter the effects of the Biden administration’s clemency decisions.
Justice Department officials confirmed that the inmates were transferred Tuesday to the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado.
The prison, often referred to simply as ADX, is widely considered the most secure facility in the federal system.
The inmates are among 37 former death row prisoners whose sentences were commuted by President Biden in late December.
Those actions drew widespread criticism, with many accusing the administration of using clemency as a last-minute political move without adequate review of the inmates’ violent histories.
A Justice Department source told Fox News Digital that all 37 commuted inmates are expected to be housed at ADX by “early next year.”
Officials described the move as part of Bondi’s focus on prioritizing punishment for violent offenders and ensuring their confinement reflects the severity of their crimes.
Though presidential commutations cannot be undone, Justice Department officials emphasized that Bondi has directed changes in how these inmates are held.
Her goal, they said, is to impose conditions that match the extreme risk posed by offenders once sentenced to death.
An internal DOJ memo stated that placement decisions would consider “the egregious crimes, criminal histories, and all other relevant considerations” of each inmate.
For Bondi, that meant transferring those whose actions went beyond single acts of violence and represented continuing threats.
The eight prisoners transferred this week were convicted of first-degree murder under federal jurisdiction, per an exclusive report from Fox.
Their cases represent some of the most violent crimes prosecuted in recent decades.
One man was found guilty of murdering a married couple camping in the Ouachita National Forest in July 2003.
Investigators testified that the couple was targeted, brutally killed and left in a remote area of the park. Another inmate kidnapped, robbed and murdered a 51-year-old local bank president.
According to court documents, the victim was tied to a concrete block and a chain hoist before being thrown alive into a lake, where he drowned.
Several others had histories of murdering fellow inmates while already incarcerated, a factor often considered by the Bureau of Prisons when determining placement in higher-security facilities.
These incidents, officials said, demonstrated that the men posed ongoing risks even inside controlled environments.
ADX Florence, known for its restrictive conditions, confines inmates to single cells for up to 23 hours a day and limits outside contact.
The prison currently houses some of the country’s most notorious criminals.
Among them are Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted in the Boston Marathon bombing; Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the former Sinaloa Cartel leader; and Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, co-founder of al-Qaeda.
Bondi issued a strong statement condemning the Biden administration’s decision to commute the inmates’ death sentences.
“President Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of these monsters showed abhorrent disregard for our justice system and total disrespect for victims’ families already suffering through immense loss,” Bondi told Fox News Digital.
She continued, “After meeting with many of the victims’ families at the Department of Justice and promising to take action on their behalf, eight of these prisoners have been transferred to the Colorado super-max prison ADX. This will ensure that they spend the remainder of their lives in conditions consistent with the egregious crimes they committed.”
