Former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo transferred from Leavenworth federal prison

Bencivengo, convicted on corruption counts in November, is currently being housed at a transfer facility in Oklahoma City. He reported to a minimum-security prison camp in Leavenworth, Kas., on May 30.

HAMILTON — Two weeks after he reported to start a 38-month prison sentence for his federal corruption conviction, former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo has been relocated to a different facility.

Bencivengo reported to the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan., on May 30, to be housed at a minimum-security prison camp, his attorney said.

But according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Bencivengo has since been relocated to the Federal Transfer Center at Oklahoma City, which keeps inmates for short periods before they are sent elsewhere.

"Any time we move an inmate, it's typically for disciplinary reasons, for greater security, less security, to move an inmate closer to home or to an institution so they can participate in some sort of specialized program that's not offered they're at," bureau spokesman Chris Burke said. "Crowding is always an issue, too. That's taken into account when we designate inmates."

In November, Bencivengo was convicted on five counts related to extortion and bribery after he solicited $12,400 in bribes from the school district's insurance broker in exchange for promising to influence a school board vote.

His former community planning director, Rob Warney, reported for an 18-month prison sentence at a low-security correctional institute in Allenwood, Pa., in May.

According to a handbook for Oklahoma City inmates, prisoners stay at the transfer center for an average of four to six weeks. Administrators keep track of inmates' lengths of stay after 60 days, to ensure they are not delayed unnecessarily.

"A lot of different factors go into it. It depends on the marshals' transportation schedule and the weather sometimes affects it," Burke said. "But the mission is to house inmates while they're en route."

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