Is this where Sam Bankman-Fried will spend the next 25 years? Inside the medium-security California prisons where crypto fraudster will have to adapt his vegan diet

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Sam Bankman-Fried may serve his 25 year prison sentence in a low- to medium- security prison in California - but the ultimate decision on where will be up to federal prison officials. 

There are a handful of options on the West Coast, where Bankman-Fried was raised by his Stanford professor parents. Some prisons are kept close by their home, while others are shipped to prisons across the nation. 

Now that he's been sentenced to prison, Bankman-Fried will soon learn where he is spending the next two decades of his life.  

In last minute pleas, Bankman-Fried lawyers argued that his vegan diet and autism meant he should serve no longer than six years behind bars. 

Bankman-Fried's veganism, as well as his ADHD, have long been among the favorite mitigating arguments of his lawyers.

In August 2023, his former lead defense lawyer Mark Cohen complained that the Metropolitan Dentention Center in Brooklyn wasn't accommodating Bankman-Fried's vegan diet nor was it allowing him his ADHD medication. Cohen argued this hampered his client's ability to prepare for the trial.

'He’s literally now subsisting on bread and water and sometimes peanut butter,' Cohen said in a court hearing.

Sam Bankman-Fried will soon learn where he is spending the next two decades behind bars, with the decision being made by the federal Bureau of Prisons

FCI Herlong in California, which could where Bankman-Fried is sentenced to live out his coming years. One of Herlong's most notable inmates, rapper B.G., was released from the prison last year after serving 12 years of his 14-year sentence

Bankman-Fried's special diet will likely be accommodated because according to the Bureau of Prisons 2024 National Menu, there are vegan options. The seven-day menu dictates mainline food offerings at its prison locations. 

For breakfast, there are items such as fruit, hot grits, milk substitute and margarine. It should be noted that some margarines brands do have animal products.

For lunch and dinner, vegan inmates could have food such as pinto beans, steamed rice, green peas, a baked potato with margarine, or a garden salad depending on the day.

Many prisons also have commissaries where prisoners can buy snacks such as chips, cookies, nuts and ramen. Theoretically, Bankman-Fried's parents could supply him with money to go to the commissary.

With Bankman-Fried's worries about what he'll eat for the next 25 years put to bed, Christopher Zoukis, an federal prisons expert, broke the down the factors that determine which prison Bankman-Fried will end up for DailyMail.com. He said he believes Bankman-Fried will likely be sent to a West Coast prison, such as FCI Herlong or Mendota.

Herlong houses 1,391 inmates, while Mendota holds 950, according to the Bureau of Prisons. 

Zoukis explained the Federal Bureau of Prisons applies a security point value to prisoners that in part determines which kind of prison they'll be housed in.

The sentence length also greatly informs where a convict will end up. 

Generally, public safety factor guidelines stipulate if someone has 10 or more years left to serve, they need to end up in a low security facility. 

More than 20 years demands at least a medium-security designation, while more than 30 years requires at least a high-security placement.

Bankman-Fried's 25-year sentence is the main reason he's likely headed for a medium security facility. 

Federal Correctional Institution Mendota, where Bankman-Fried could end up, according to Zoukis

FCI Mendota holds 950 inmates inside the medium-security facility

'The only the only risk here is...if he goes to medium, which medium security prison? So you have very good mediums and very bad mediums,' Zoukis told DailyMail.com. 

He added he doesn't think Bankman-Fried will end up at a 'bad medium' such as FCI Victorville in California, often called 'Victimville' because of its culture of violence. An inmate at Victorville was found dead just last week, according to local outlet Victor Valley News Group. 

Victorville has three facilities. One for just medium-security male offenders, another for male and female medium security offenders, and a third for high security male offenders.

One of the most notable inmates ever incarcerated at the Victorville prison complex was real life Gone Girl Sherri Papini, who faked her own kidnapping in 2016.

'In cases like these that are very visible, I think [the Bureau of Prisons is] really cautious about where they put people because they don't want to have a negative public impression of [Bankman-Fried] getting attacked,' Zoukis said.

Both medium-security prison options are in the same state as where Bankman-Fried's parents' reside. They live in a home in Palo Alto, which is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Federal Correctional Institution Herlong, another possible destination for Bankman-Fried

Exterior gates of Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc in Southern California. The facility is a low-security prison where Bankman-Fried could be serving out his time

Interior of FCI Lompoc, a low security prison in southern California

According to driving estimates by Google Maps, Mendota would be preferable option for his parents to have easy visits. It just over two hours from Palo Alto, whereas Herlong, situated near the Nevada border, is about five hours away.

One of Herlong's most notable inmates, rapper B.G., was released from the prison last year after serving 12 years of his 14-year sentence, the Rolling Stone reported. 

Herlong also used to have a decent reputation as a humane prison - but has since backslid into an unsafe place for sex offenders, LGBTQ individuals and informants, according to Puck News.

As for Mendota, in January 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency launched an investigation into its alleged improper storage of hazardous materials, as reported by the Fresno Bee. 

The federal prison also made headlines last year after a 34-year-old inmate died at Mendota in December.

In June 2023, a manhunt was launched after a missing 42-year-old inmate walked out from the FCI Mendota satellite camp. 

Medium security prisons are known for having strengthened perimeters and have a high staff-to-inmate ratio. The prisons are often very crowded, with small cells and steel bunk beds bolted to the walls. 

Now that he's been sentenced to prison, Bankman-Fried will soon learn where he is spending the next two decades of his life 

At FCI Mendota, inmates live in two-person cells, and prisoners have access to the library - as well as having a commissary to buy snacks, ice cream, and electronics. 

Inmates at the California jail can play softball, soccer, football, tennis, as well as enjoy the gym where exercise classes include spin, yoga, and aerobics. 

People incarcerated at FCI Herlong live in two- or three-person cells. Inmates can use the jail gym, which has a basketball court and multiple workout machines.

They can also enjoy workout courses, music classes, art and craft programs while serving their prison sentences at Herlong. 

FCI Lompoc is also a possible destination for Bankman-Fried. Lompoc used to be a medium-security prison but has since transitioned to serve only low-security inmates. 

Lompoc also isn't without controversy. Federal inmates at the facility filed a class action lawsuit against its prison officials for not adequately tamping down the outbreak of COVID-19. A settlement was reached in the summer of 2022.

Photos from inside that facility show rows of bunk-beds that are used to house criminals in barrack-style units.

Lompoc houses 879 inmates and was once home to fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli who was convicted as part of the college admissions scandal along with his wife, actress Lori Loughlin.