Biography

Gregory Joseph Marcinski was born on a snowy December morning the 2nd of the month in 1976. He lived with his parents Gregory and Christine in a small apartment in Greenwich Village near Washington Square Park in New York City. They lived there for several years till Gregory’s father found a new job in Hoboken, New Jersey so they moved across the Hudson River to Jersey City. Here they remained all through the 80’s were Gregory also attended Catholic school.

By the early 90’s Gregory’s father lost his job and the family was forced to move to a small one bedroom apartment in North Bergen. His home life had always been chaotic with parental alcohol and drug abuse, and violent arguments. In 1993 he decided to try to get away from it and moved in with his paternal grandparents. Although Gregory’s grandmother Josephine was a sweet and loving woman his grandfather John was an old school heavy handed man with an explosively bad temper. Gregory tried to get away from one hell but only to exchange it for another.

In Brick Township, New Jersey Gregory found a job, went to College and started to volunteer at the local First Aid/Fire Company. He graduated from Jersey Shore University Medical Center with his Emergency Medical Technician credentials. By the late 90’s he founded a small business recharging and selling toner cartridges, laser printers, and copy machines. He expanded in 1999 and started building computer networks for small businesses. Things seems to be going in the right direction but Gregory still wasn’t a mature man and suffered from low self-esteem, anger, and depression.

April 18, 2000 Gregory was arrested and sent to Kentucky for arraignment. He sat there for roughly a year waiting in limbo. Through this time there was the 2000 presidential elections where a new administration was elected. The new President George W. Bush appointed John Ashcroft as Attorney General. Politics shifted in the U.S. and the new Attorney General now sought the death penalty. Gregory was then sent back to New Jersey, pled guilty to accept responsibility and avoid two death penalty trials and sentenced in March of 2002. In April, Gregory arrived at USP Lewisburg in Pennsylvania to start his sentence. During his time there he tried his best to be positive but was assaulted a few times ultimately ending up in solitary confinement for his own protection. He spent nearly 14 months in solitary till he was transferred to USP Allenwood where he entered a residential program called CODE. While there the chief psychologist took notice of Gregory and felt that he did not belong in a penitentiary and suggested that he attend another residential program called the Habilitation Program which would remove him from the high security penitentiary and place him in a medium security institution. The chief psychologist put in the referral, Gregory’s file was reviewed, he was interviewed and ultimately approved for the program. He was then transferred to FCI Butner in North Carolina in August of 2004 to start the program and successfully completed the program in April 2006 and transferred to FCI Fairton, New Jersey. In April 2007 Gregory was transferred to USP Canaan which was just opening up at the time. While there he was assaulted again and put in solitary confinement for his protection. He was then transferred to FCI Otisville in September 2007 where he currently resides.

Gregory has been very successful while at FCI Otisville. He is the lay leader of his faith community, teaches religious classes and leads services in the absence of clergy. He has also taught GED and various other classes including Latin and earned a Department of Labor apprenticeship for Teacher’s Aide. He also facilitates the Victim Impact Program and is a Mental Health and Suicide Watch Companion. Gregory is a student at Adams State University as a B.A. candidate of sociology as well as at Catholic Distance University enrolled in their Advanced Catechist Certificate Program. He was instrumental in chartering a Toastmasters Gavel Club, Legion of Mary Praesidium, and a Patrician Society each of which he served in various officer positions and is currently president of the Praesidium and Chairman of the Patrician Society. Gregory is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians and Electronics Technician Association – International. He has received three letters of commendation from three different wardens, several awards from Toastmasters International, among many other certificates of appreciation.

rev. December 24, 2019