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William Mersey is a writer and blogger who's been published in the New York Times, the New York Daily News and New York Magazine, as well as Gallery, Oui, and Screw Magazines. From January 3 to November 18 of 2019, Mersey was imprisoned in the Metropolitan Correction Center for tax fraud, where he spent a significant amount of time in the company of Paul Manafort and Jeffrey Epstein. Read more of his thoughts on prison life, the BOP, and MCC specifically here.

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opinion

SAG Can’t Play the Victim When It Treats Extras So Badly

NO ENTRY

While SAG-AFTRA advocates for its members’ rights, it should consider how unfairly it—and productions—treat extras who are shut out of joining SAG in the first place.

William Mersey | Published Jul 17, 2023
opinion

It’s Too Easy for Abusive Prison Guards to Keep Their Jobs

FOXES GUARDING THE HEN HOUSE

Two new scandals have rocked the already beleaguered Federal Bureau of Prisons. Corrupt and predatory officers are a big part of the problem.

William Mersey | Published Dec 17, 2022
opinion

Diehard Trump Lackey Is in for a Strange Trip Behind Bars

STILL RENT-FREE

The former CFO of the Trump Organization will have to hope the increasingly deadly jail keeps him good and isolated.

William Mersey | Published Aug 18, 2022
opinion

‘Political Prisoner’ Paul Manafort Was a Sh*tty Cellmate

THE HONEYMOON IS OVER

Trump’s guy is back talking with his old pal Sean Hannity and promoting a new book about how his shit doesn’t stink. But his farts sure did, writes his former cellmate.

William Mersey | Published Jan 13, 2022
opinion

I Saw Firsthand Why Jeffrey Epstein Killed Himself

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND INFAMOUS

I’d suffered through the flatulence and lumberjack snoring of cellmate Paul Manafort before I ended up spending many hours alone with Jeffrey Epstein as his inmate companion.

William Mersey | Published Nov 24, 2021
opinion

They’re Closing the Jail Where I Met Epstein—It’s About Time

A HUMAN WAREHOUSE

It was a shithole of the first order and an embarrassment to both the United States of America and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

William Mersey | Published Aug 27, 2021
opinion

At Epstein’s Jail and Ghislaine’s, Everything’s a Rat F*ck

‘RUN BY MORONS’

Having spent time locked up with Epstein and Paul Manafort in Manhattan let me tell you: There’s a reason that a federal judge just said those jails are “run by morons.”

William Mersey | Published May 28, 2021
opinion

Cohen Isn’t the First Convict the Gov’t Tried to Silence

GAGGED

That makes at least two convicts who the government didn't want talking to the media. I doubt that Cohen and I are alone in that distinction.

William Mersey | Published Jul 26, 2020

The Virus Has Come to a Place With No Escape

CLOSE QUARTERS

Good luck keeping six feet away—or finding any hand sanitizer.

William Mersey | Published Mar 29, 2020
opinion

Harvey Weinstein Is in for a Rude Awakening at Rikers

THIS ISN’T THE RITZ

When he recovers from his panic attack, he’ll have plenty to worry about.

William Mersey | Published Feb 26, 2020

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