Birthday escape costs federal inmate 15 more months in prison

ATLANTA — A federal prison inmate who escaped to celebrate his birthday may now have to spend a couple more of them behind bars.

A news release from U.S. Attorney John A. Horn, Northern District of Georgia, said that Fernando A. Settles, 36, of Augusta, had 15 months added to his sentence for escaping from the U.S. Penitentiary’s minimum-security camp in Atlanta.

“Escapes from prison pose significant safety risks to the public,” Horn said. “Settles escaped from Atlanta’s prison camp to celebrate his birthday.

“He decided that instant gratification was more important than serving his time and being released at the end of his sentence. Now he will have an extra year to reflect on that choice.”

According to Horn, the charges and other information presented in court, the USP Atlanta is a medium-security federal prison for male inmates operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It also has a detention center for pre-trial inmates and a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates.

The FBI and the Atlanta Police Department have been engaged in an investigation to combat instances where USP Atlanta inmates temporarily escape from the prison camp to obtain contraband to smuggle back into the prison or to visit nearby restaurants, hotels, and residences.

In August 2009, Settles was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of conspiratorial and substantive drug trafficking offenses. From approximately September 2016 to May 2017, Settles was an inmate at the prison camp of USP Atlanta, with a scheduled release date of July 29, 2025.

On May 8, the FBI and APD conducted surveillance along the fence line of USP Atlanta. At approximately 3:20 a.m., Settles escaped from the prison camp. The FBI soon arrested Settles in a wooded area outside of USP Atlanta’s outer prison fence. Settles had a cellphone and two empty duffel bags in his possession.

On May 12, Settles was charged with escaping from federal custody. He was sentenced to a 15-month prison term consecutive to his current sentence.