Man Who Attacked Raniere Transferred to High-Security USP Terre Haute, Possibly CMU

Maurice Adonis Withers could have fared better after attacking Keith Alan Raniere.

The BOP removed Adonis from USP Tucson and sent him to USP Terre Haute.

There is a Communications Management Unit there.

The BOP designed CMUs to prevent terrorists and high-risk inmates from communicating with their violent associates.

Adonis may be in a CMU or another unit in this high-security facility.

CMUs permit the BOP to undertake heightened monitoring of prisoners’ communications.

CMUs house mainly Muslim prisoners.

There is ample reason to believe Adonis did not attack Raniere on the spur of the moment. Instead, someone may have ordered or assigned him to attack the Vanguard.

This communication to attack Raniere may have come from outside prison.

The incident

On July 26, 2022, at 6:50 A.M, Raniere was in the dining hall at USP Tucson.

He collected his morning victuals consisting of a single, somewhat small not because it was merely shriveled, moldy, but not wormy, fruit-like spherical object of dull red hue on the outside and brownish grey on the inside, described as an apple; a smallish portion of lukewarm whitish, watery mush-like gooey greyish clumpy substance described on the BOP menu as grits; two crumpled brownish lumps of a mealy, but hard texture said to be whole wheat bread; a small pat of soft yellow-dyed wavy semi-greasy substance believed to be salt-free, oil-light canola oily margarine, insufficient to cover one lumpy slice if one was so inclined to eat it; two tiny packets of what might be grape or grape like jelly, believed to be so because of its dark blue-gray color, not because of taste, since it was not sweet, nor sour, but best described as having no immediate taste but a peculiar aftertaste; a small cup of room temperature water and skim milk mixture and a smaller cup of tepid instant coffee, rather light in color not from creamer but from a slightly higher percentage of water to coffee powder ratio than one would expect this side of just plain water.

The Vanguard walked with his victuals toward a table, carrying them on a tray.

The craven slithered up and, without warning, launched a surprise attack. Adonis used his closed fists as weapons to strike Raniere about the head and face.

The tray flew in a southeastern direction. Its contents flew in all directions. The former East Coast judo champion fell forward in a northwesterly direction on the floor face down.

Some witnessed the event, including a USP Tucson employee. Security cameras caught the incident on film.

FR requested the video, but USP Tucson officials advise these videos are not subject to FOIL requests.

The recreant villain, cowardly craven Maurice Adonis Withers (BOP #10300-090), was identified as the attacker. Raniere did not know the rascal and had no reason to suspect Adonis would suddenly attack him.

Guards escorted both men to the SHU – but not to the same cell.

Raniere might have savored a chance to be in the same cell as Adonis to wreak vengeance on the cowardly lad. He could have tossed the chicken-livered Adonis about the room with his judo expertise until he literally bounced off the walls.

Raniere suffered a black eye, swelling, nausea, and dizziness for a week.

Raniere and Adonis received disciplinary ticket “201 – Fighting with another person.”

An investigation lasting a month exonerated Raniere of wrongdoing.

The BOP released Withers from the SHU and transferred him to UPS Terre Haute, one of the most brutal prisons in the USA.

Meanwhile, Raniere has been in the SHU since that fateful day, and it is now 194 days [six months and two weeks].

Raniere wound up in the SHU with cellmate William Anthony ‘Toni’ Fly.

An officer at USP Tucson told Raniere the BOP was transferring him to a Communications Management Unit (CMU).

There to live alongside terrorists placed there to keep them from communicating with their followers.

Raniere is serving a sentence of 120 years – with 98 years remaining – for racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking, and attempted sex trafficking.

He opposes the transfer.

He has been at USP Tucson since January 21, 2021. He wants to return to the general population there.

Communications Management Units (CMU) house prisoners who the BOP believes need heightened monitoring of their communications due to their history of, or propensity for, contacts with extremist groups or conducting illicit activities outside prison.

Though Raniere was not guilty of fighting, but headed to the SHU.

Prisoners have limited and less private communications compared to general population inmates.

Visits with family are through a glass wall and are live monitored and recorded. All written correspondence is inspected and limited in quantity if allowed at all.

Phone calls are limited to immediate family members.

The CMU is not as harsh as the SHU.

The CMU is a self-contained general population housing unit.

Inmates get up to 16 hours a day with other inmates and have access to educational and professional opportunities – though most will never see freedom again, so professional opportunities are moot.

CMU inmates keep possessions like other inmates in general population and can regularly exercise.

CMU placements can be permanent. With restrictions on visits and contacts with family and other visitors, it becomes difficult for prisoners to maintain relationships with family members, friends, and followers.

Raniere, 62, is attacking his conviction and claims the FBI planted child pornography on a hard drive.

He retained seven forensic experts who say the FBI falsified photographic evidence, including manipulating folder names and dates.

The experts are

Former FBI Special Agent Dr. James Richard Kiper, Former FBI Senior Forensic Examiner Stacy Eldridge, Former FBI Forensic Examiner William Odom,
Former FBI Special Agent Mark Daniel Bowling,
Cyber lawyer Steve Abrams
Stephen Bunting
Wayne Norris.

On October 6, 2022, Alan Dershowitz publicly supported an evidentiary hearing.

Raniere is challenging the CMU placement and is expected to file opposition papers in the coming days.

Frank Parlato