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Photo by Jennifer Silverberg
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Rachel Ildeya Amratiel strikes a pose.
Last fall, we ran a feature (
"Babe n Arms") recounting the bizarre journey of
Rachel Idleya Amratiel, ne
Thomas Hibodon IV -- a Persian Gulf War veteran, carpenter and
cross-dresser who pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges after
becoming a woman (
kind
of a long story).
Well, she's finally gone to prison.
When sentenced in November to 27 months for possessing an unlicensed grenade, Amratiel's attorney argued to
Judge Rodney Sippel that her recent sex-change operation had left her with unique medical needs that federal prisons wouldn't easily accommodate. But it appears a prison has been found:
Carswell Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
According to the
Bureau of Prisons website, Carswell "provides specialized medical and mental health services to female
offenders." Amratiel's listed release date is June 30, 2011.