Swedish businessman Olof K Gustafsson, convicted of fraud and money laundering, shares his experiences in a Los Angeles prison surrounded by notorious criminals, including a drug lord and a former Syrian prison chief accused of torture.
Olof K Gustafsson's Life Among Dangerous Inmates in U.S. Prison
Olof K Gustafsson's Life Among Dangerous Inmates in U.S. Prison
Olof K Gustafsson is currently incarcerated in an American prison, sharing his daily life with serious criminals, including a convicted drug lord and a torture master from Assad's Syria.
"It's very dangerous here," he says from the prison.
The Swedish businessman and fraudster Olof K Gustafsson, 32, has admitted to fraud and money laundering charges following an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He is now at MDC in Los Angeles—a short-term facility where inmates are held awaiting trial or sentencing, similar to a Swedish remand center.
"It's certainly a very stressful reality. My fellow inmates on the same floor, more or less neighbors, include Michael Lerma and Samir Ousman Al Sheikh," says Olof K Gustafsson from inside MDC.
"Very Dangerous"
He continues:
"There is an incredible abundance of criminals in this place, making it very dangerous. Previously, people have been murdered within cell block 6 South where I am located, so it's not the most pleasant environment," he says.
In 2020, Carlos Gonzalez and Valencia Gonzalez murdered another inmate in one of the cells. The U.S. Department of Justice states that the victim was killed as "revenge for failing to pay drug debts."
Here are some of Olof K Gustafsson's neighbors:
Michael Lerma
Michael Lerma, 68, is a legendary figure in his hometown of Los Angeles, according to American media. He has spent 43 years in prison and is convicted of murder, drug offenses, and gang-related crimes.
At the same time, he continues to control his drug empire as the leader of the Mexican Mafia operating within the prison system, American media reports. All rival gangs in Los Angeles "report" to Lerma, who "has the power to decide life and death," according to a city prosecutor.
Samir Ousman Al Sheikh
Samir Ousman Al Sheikh, 72, was the head of the notorious Adra prison in Damascus during the now-deposed President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
The feared former prison chief is charged with multiple counts of torture and faces 20 years in prison. He is accused of personally torturing inmates. He was arrested in the U.S., where he immigrated in 2020.
Daniel Park
Also in the same prison was Daniel Park, 32, who was suspected of aiding in the bombing of a fertility clinic in Los Angeles in May this year. One person died in the explosion. Park was charged with providing large amounts of explosives used in the bomb.
But at the end of June, he was found unconscious at MDC. He was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The cause of death has not been disclosed, but there was reportedly no danger to other inmates or staff at the time.