Albert Fall Enters Prison as First Cabinet Member Incarcerated for Felony Crimes

Albert Fall entered the New Mexico State Penitentiary in Santa Fe to begin serving his one-year sentence for bribery, becoming the first presidential Cabinet member in American history imprisoned for felony crimes committed while in office. Driven by ambulance from El Paso due to poor health, Fall was immediately confined to the prison hospital ward as inmate number 6,991. The Department of Justice had compassionately allowed him to serve his federal sentence in New Mexico to be near medical facilities and his family. During his entire nine-month incarceration, Fall remained bedridden in the prison hospital, diagnosed with multiple illnesses including chronic tuberculosis. He was released on May 9, 1932. Fall’s imprisonment represented a historic moment of accountability, demonstrating that even the highest government officials could face criminal consequences for corruption, though the legal paradox that he was convicted while those who paid the bribes were acquitted revealed significant flaws in the justice system.