Meet the world's most isolated prisoner.

Locked in a harsh brick cell just a few metres tall as it is wide, all alone under 24-hour security. This is the reality for the most isolated inmate in America's most dangerous prison.

Smack bang in the middle of the desert, about 160km outside of Denver, Colorado, you'll find one of the most terrifying locations in the world. 

The US Penitentiary Administrative Maximum is the highest-security prison in the country and home to some of the most brutal criminals.

The prison — also known as ADX — houses men who have committed unthinkable crimes.

There are few comforts for inmates, who range from "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid and Colombian guerilla chief Simón Trinidad to Mafia kingpin Fotios Geas. It also formerly housed "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski. 

The worst offenders live on the H Unit of the prison which means they have to live by "special administrative measures" to ensure they don't cause "death or serious bodily injury to persons, or substantial damage to property." These conditions are varied, but often include a restricted contact list of people they can call, being locked in their cells for 23 hours a day and severing ties with other inmates.

And then, there are "The Suites": the most secluded, high-security section of the jail reserved for the most dangerous criminals of them all.

The living conditions are about as isolating as you can get and it's all by design. 

A concrete slab sets the basis for a bed topped with a thin foam mattress. An additional concrete ledge acts as a desk which sits next to a stainless steal toilet with a small sink above. A shower trickles water at a specific time each day to avoid flooding and a tiny narrow window lets in a sliver of light from the outside world.

Inmates locked in The Suites are cut-off from all contact with other inmates and are under constant 24-hour surveillance. 

For one hour a day, they are allowed outside their cell to exercise in a small cage on their own. All of their calls (that can only be made to their restricted pre-approved contact list) are monitored by guards and any mail correspondence is read aloud to them.

It's a dark, dark existence reserved for the most sinister humans to walk this earth.

But if terrorists, mass-bombers, jihadists and warlords don't even constitute being high-risk enough to live in The Suites — then who is?

The first is notorious drug lord and former head of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who committed unspeakable crimes during his terror of reign. And the other is... a con man.

Yes, you read that right. 

Meet James Sabatino, a 47-year-old who has had made a dishonourable career out of pulling a fast one over people by fraudulently nabbing millions of dollars.

James Sabatino. Image: CBS4

Sabatino began his swindling ways at the ripe age of 18 when he pulled off his first heist. He scored $400,000 worth of Super Bowl tickets by pretending to be the president of the Miami Dolphins NFL team. For his troubles, he was locked up for two years to pay penance. 

Once released from jail he was far from reformed and in fact, he doubled down on his desire to scam. He'd had a taste and he wanted more. Throughout the '90s he kicked it up a notch by becoming more elaborate with his escapades and pretending to be Sony Music president, Tommy Mottola. 

So convincing was his ruse, he was able to rack up bills at major hotels including $267,000 at the Miami Hilton, $24,000 at the Los Angeles Ritz-Carlton and a further $24,000 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria.

Through his ability to charm unsuspecting workers, he was able to insist "his company" Sony Music would foot the charges for goods from Tiffany's, airline tickets and electronics. 

Eventually his high-flying lifestyle ended when he was thrown behind bars in 1998. 

While in a New York prison, Sabatino was able to reflect on his past transgressions and think about how he could do more of that from inside the jail eco-system. And if anyone could pull it off, it was going to be him.

In 2002 he managed to swindle $4.6 million worth of mobile phones and service charges from Nextel (a TelCo company) all by making a few calls from within jail. He pulled off the job by conspiring with some of his crooked buddies on the outside - an impressive feat no matter how you slice it.

After being transferred to a federal prison in Miami in 2014, Sabatino got his hands on a burner phone which ended up being a very valuable piece of equipment for him to pull off his next big scam. Over the course of several years he once again posed as a big time music exec to grift luxury goods and services to the tune of $15.3 million. 

But once again his fraudulent ways caught up with him when his phone was uncovered during a raid. In 2017 he was sentenced to a further 20 years in jail.

"I don’t apologise to nobody," he told Senior District Judge Joan Lenard. 

"As far as the government is concerned, they allowed this case to happen… they should be embarrassed."

And with that he earned himself a cell in the most secluded section of the highest security maximum prison in America. This time around, authorities weren't taking any chances. 

In fact, his limitations are so extreme that the only two people he can speak to — either inside or outside the prison — are his 76-year-old stepmother Carol and his lawyer.

And even then, he can only speak to his stepmum twice a month for 15 minutes at a time. 

While he has sought to have his stepmother's partner added to his call list, the courts denied it.

"Sabatino is the only inmate in the country limited to just one social contact, all of the other inmates on communication restrictions have multiple approved contacts," said Sabatino's attorney Israel Encinosa. 

It's a lonely life for a criminal who never even committed a murder.

But despite that, the federal court system isn't going to take any chances. For now, Sabatino will continue to stay in extreme isolation just a few metres from some of the most terrifying figures of the underworld.

And he has even admitted that if he ever got the chance, he'd offend again.

"These restrictions benefit the public, not me," Sabatino admitted in a letter during his hearing in 2022. 

"I hate these restrictions. They are terrible, but it is the ONLY thing that stops me. I wonder if you people have any idea of how many crimes [the tough restrictions] have prevented." 

Feature Image: Canva.

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