Memorial for Louis Pepe: A Life of Service

**update 2**

We were Blessed with good weather albeit windy on April 27, 2025 when we did the memorial service for Louis Pepe. The CPOF Honor guard flew in from Wyoming, Ohio and Massachusetts among others.

I want to thank all of you who made this memorial a reality. Officer Pepe finally was given the honors he deserved.

We uploaded the complete Pepe’s memorial service video and tons of pictures (if you hit the back arrow to the main page).

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNwFTvUrNWQsQVaK2wBp_DVdkoy77NUhii9oEyn2WfbJIKwOPR9m0K3-NG-dj9IZw/photo/AF1QipP3RwMPpM4C6Lupf1JVqgGfJAqZkDRR9K_9IOK4?key=VFZmaEQ3S2I4Q3JrMmpVSDJrYnN1SzFQZFZMN0t3

For those who attended, thank you for being there, for those who couldn't, thank you for being there in spirit and prayers.

**update 1**: We want to thank everyone who made this memorial a reality. Donations will be closed on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 6PM.

This is a sad story of the first Al Qaeda terrorist victim on US soil.

Ten months before the 9/11 attack, Federal Correctional Officer Louis Pepe was working at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a Federal Detention Center located across the US Courts on Park Row, New York City. He was working in Unit 10 South, a Special Housing Unit.

Officer Pepe was not only respected by his peers but also by the prisoners under his care. He always looked out for their needs, and no one had anything bad to say about him. He was a gentle soul who always had a smile on his face.

Under his care were two Al Qaeda terrorists. One was Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, an Al Qaeda founding member and lieutenant and advisor to Osama Bin Laden. The other was Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, both charged with conspiracy in the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that took 224 lives.

On November 1, 2000, Officer Pepe escorted Salim and Mohamed back to their cell on the tenth floor after meeting with their lawyer in the prison. When they got to the cell, they attacked Pepe. First, spraying his eyes with the hot sauce collected from the commissary in an empty honey bottle. They beat Pepe and kicked him, trying to get his jail keys to release other suspects in the embassy bombings. But Pepe would not surrender the keys. Pepe, blinded by the hot sauce, fought them and would not relinquish the keys. Then Salim, half the size of Pepe, reached for the shank. The shank was formed from a plastic comb sharpened on the concrete. Salim plunged this shank deeply into Pepe’s brain through his left eye. Outside the security camera view, they pummeled, kicked, and beat Pepe for almost an hour, but Pepe just refused to die. He would not surrender the keys and continued to fight valiantly. When other correctional officers finally stormed the cell, they found Pepe awash in his blood; his attackers had drawn a red cross on him. Even with his mortal wounds, he wanted to walk out of the prison instead of being carried to meet the ambulance.

At that time, I was working at MDC Brooklyn, MCC’s sister institution across the river. The entire staff was stunned and heartbroken when we heard the news from the staff at MCC. It is not often that an inmate conducts such a brutal attack and attempts to kill one of our officers. At the Bureau of Prisons, a housing unit of 120 prisoners or more is run by just one officer. We earned that ability and respect by treating prisoners fairly as human beings.

For 2 1/2 years after the assault, Pepe remained hospitalized. He suffered a massive stroke after the surgery to remove the weapon. Pneumonia followed, then a collapsed lung. He spent three weeks in a coma and was placed on life support. Multiple infections set in. His temperature peaked at 105 one time. Follow-up brain surgery helped ease spinal fluid leaking from his eye socket. The damage done to his brain was devastating. It was heartbreaking to visit him in the hospital, unable to recognize you and to see this gentle soul reduced to the mental state of an 8-year-old. It took years for him to regain his strength and ability to speak again. But even after ten years, he would call everyone Mr. and Ms. “G”. Pepe's received many visitors to include then US Attorney General Janet Reno.

During this duration, one by one, his father, mother, and finally in February of 2024, his only sibling sister passed away. He has no family left. Except for one.

For the last 15 years, an angel in disguise named Lesley Achiaa cared for Pepe 7 days a week, 12 hours a day until the day Pepe passed away. He died twice, after the attack, and on November 21 when they resuscitated him for the last time. Pepe was a fighter but on November 24, 2024, at the age of 67, he succumbed. He was alone when he was attacked and except for a few, he died alone as well.

Throughout his years, one news reporter, Mary Murphy from WPIX 11, followed and published his stories. This kind reporter suggested the memorial service and she was willing to help to get a prayer service and perhaps a bagpiper. I ran along with the idea and contacted Pepe’s friends.

What happened to Pepe was a tragedy and it’s not what he deserved. So, this fundraiser is done because all his friends wanted to honor him one last time with a memorial service. For now, we have April 27 of 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at Mount Saint Mary Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, and all of you are invited. Bookmark this page and I will update you whenever changes happen.

Let’s help and make this memorial service a reality.

I want to thank the Fraternal Order of Police, the Loyal Knights of New York, Lodge 222, S. Espinet, president and E. Rivera, T. Covington (past president of the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Local 3148), A. Santiago for all their kindness and assistance. Also, all the staff from MCC and MDC past, present, and the Executive Staff of the Bureau of Prisons Central Office and Northeast Regional Office who jumped in eager to help immediately.

On behalf of the hundreds of Correctional Workers from MCC New York, MDC Brooklyn active and retired staff and leadership, I humbly thank all of you who visited and contributed to this cause.

Note: Any residual funds will be donated to Pepe's caregiver Leslie Achiaa who was on his side daily for over 15 years.

Ceremony detail:

When: Sunday, April 27, 2025 @ 10:30 am

Where: Mount Saint Mary Cemetery in Flushing, Queens.

172-00 Booth Memorial Avenue Flushing, NY 11365

Section: 015 | Row: F