by Christopher Zoukis

The Bureau of Prisons settled an excessive force civil rights claim brought by prisoner Allan Parmelee. The BOP agreed to pay Parmelee $2,600 in full satisfaction of his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claims.

According to his complaint, while being held at Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago, Illinois in October 1993, Parmelee was brutally assaulted by BOP prison guards and multiple deputy U.S. marshals. He alleged that he was choked, kicked, dragged, thrown, kneed and jumped on, all while handcuffed. Parmelee alleged multiple injuries as a direct result of the abusive manner in which he was treated by the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Marshals Service personnel.

Parmelee also claimed that one marshal, while participating in the beating, said, "I don't usually violate a man's civil rights[.]"

According to Parmelee, the beating was an attempt by the United States Attorney to "coerce his testimony in the governments [sic] case against another person."

Parmelee sued Page True, warden at MCC Chicago; John Blanger, lieutenant at MCC Chicago; Earnest Mayfield, lieutenant at MCC Chicago; Greg Lecas, deputy U.S. marshal; Robert Grove, deputy U.S. marshal; Robert Vrandecic, deputy U.S. marshal; Jeff Larson, deputy U.S. marshall; and Colleen Doyle, deputy U.S. marshal. He demanded $40,000 in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages.

On April 21, 2003, the case settled. Parmelee accepted $2,600 in full satisfaction of his claims. The Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Marshals Service did not admit liability or wrongdoing.

The documents from this case were obtained by Prison Legal News after prevailing in a twelve-year-long court battle with the Bureau of Prisons over a Freedom of Information Act records request.

See: Parmelee v. Camparone, et al.,United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Civil Case No. 93-C-7362.

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