We have compiled a list of the longest prison sentences in history. The sentences seem outrageous on the surface but are well deserved considering the weight of the crime committed by the convicts. The prison system is a place of punishment, for people and criminals who have committed offenses ranging from minor infractions to serious felonies. However other major functions include deterrence, retribution, and rehabilitation. It is important to note that this list does not cover those sentenced to one or multiple life imprisonment. So Without any further ado, here are the 10 longest prison sentences in history.
1. Chamoy Thipyaso (141,078 years)
Chamoy Thipyaso with 141, 078 years holds the record for the longest prison sentence in history. It is also the world’s longest sentence for corporate fraud according to Guinness World Records 2006. Thipyso who was then an employee of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand defrauded more than 16,000 people in a pyramid scheme worth $204 million at the time.
The scheme had a large number of politically powerful investors from the military and even the Royal Household and as such there were calls for the government to bail out the banks and the chit funds.
Thipayaso was arrested and convicted alongside seven of her accomplices, before receiving her infamous sentence. However, the Thai law of the time specified that those convicted of fraud could not serve more than twenty years in prison and her mandatory release was in 2009, she was paroled after only eight.
2. Othman El Gnaoui (42,924 years)
Othman El Gnaoui is a Moroccan terrorist convicted of being a perpetrator of the March 11, 2004, train bombings in Madrid, Spain, that killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800. His sentence of 42,924 years put his case in second place among the longest prison sentences in history.
El Gnaoui is believed to be second-in-command to the plot leader Jamal Ahmidan (also known as “El Chino”), he was found guilty of transporting the explosives used in the attack and planting at least one of the bombs. In October 2007, El Gnaoui was convicted of 191 counts of murder by Spain’s National Court and sentenced to 42,924 years in prison, but will only serve 40, the maximum sentence that can be served under Spanish law.
3. Jamal Zougam (42,922 years)
Just like El Gnaoui, Jamal Zougam is a Moroccan terrorist convicted of being a perpetrator of the March 11, 2004, train bombings in Madrid, Spain, that killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800. His infamous sentence of 42,922 years put his case just below his accomplice among the longest prison sentences in history.
Zougam, who had previously been brought to the attention of authorities for his links to al-Qaeda members, placed at least one of the bombs. He also owned the shop where the mobile phones used to detonate the bombs were sold. Although Zougam was convicted of 191 counts of murder by Spain’s National Court, he will only serve 40, the maximum sentence that can be served under Spanish law.
4. Emilio Suarez Trashorras (34,715 years)
Like the previous two Emilio Suarez Trashorras is also a convicted accomplice in the March 11, 2004, train bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800. Trashorras was arrested on March 18, 2004, on suspicion of providing the explosives used in the bombings.
On one of the affected trains, authorities found a bomb inside a backpack that had failed to detonate and tracked him down using the registration number on the cartridge of the explosive. He was charged with multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, robbery, and terrorism.
In October 2007, Trashorras was convicted of 192 counts of murder by Spain’s National Court and sentenced to 34,715 years in prison, placing his case among the longest prison sentences in history. Emilio will however only serve 40, the maximum sentence that can be served under Spanish law.
5. Charles Scott Robinson (30,000 years)
Charles Scott Robinson, with a sentence of 30,000 years takes fifth place among the longest prison sentences in history. He is a notorious criminal in the United States, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl in Oklahoma. He was also guilty of rape by instrumentation, two counts of forcible oral sodomy, and three counts of indecent or lewd acts with a child.
The jury fed with the early release of prisoners recommended 30,000 years,5,000 years on each of the six counts. The District Judge made it official in December 1994, making it the longest jail term for a single American on multiple counts. Also, the longest sentence ever handed in the United States.
6. Allan Wayne McLaurin (20,750 years)
Allan Wayne McLaurin is a convicted American rapist, who was convicted and resentenced to 20,740 years in prison for numerous crimes including the rape of a newly wedded woman in 1993. When the case was tried in 1993, McLaurin and his accomplice Darron Anderson received a combined 6,475 years in sentences.
The duo however appealed and were reconvicted and re-sentenced. Allan received 2,000 years on each of four counts of rape, 2,000 years on each of four counts of forcible sodomy, 1,750 years for kidnapping, 1,500 years for assault with a dangerous weapon, and 500 years each on two counts of robbery and single counts of larceny and burglary. His sentence of 20,740 years, put him among the longest prison sentences in history.
7. Pudit Kittithradilok (13,275 years)
Pudit Kittithradilok is a Thai fraudster, convicted of 2,653 counts of fraud. He admitted to running a Ponzi scheme that promised investors artificially high financial returns. About 40,000 people were persuaded to pour more than $160m into his companies.
Prosecutors revealed how Kittithradilok organized seminars where attendees were encouraged to invest in what he said were businesses linked to property development, beauty, used cars, and exports. They recommended 5 years for each count and an additional 10 years. Totalling, 13,275 years.
Kittithradilok sentence put his case in seventh place among the longest prison sentences in history. However, Due to his confession, his sentence was halved to 6,637 years and six months. Also under Thailand law, a convicted fraudster can’t serve above 20 years. He will be released in 2037.
8. Darron Bennalford Anderson (11,250 years)
Darron Bennalford Anderson is a convicted American rapist, who was convicted and resentenced to 11, 250 years in prison for numerous crimes including the rape of an elderly woman, larceny, robbery, and kidnapping. His sentence was the greatest amount of jail time given as a result of an appeal.
Anderson had been initially sentenced to 2,250 years for the rape of a newly wedded woman in 1993. He however appealed, was convicted, and re-sentenced. He received an additional jail term of 9,500 years. 2,000 years on each of two counts of rape, 2,000 years on each of two counts of forcible sodomy, 1,750 years for assault with a dangerous weapon, and 500 years each on single counts of burglary, robbery, and theft.
9. Adnan Oktar (8,658 years)
Adnan Oktar is a Turkish cult leader, preacher, creationist, conspiracy theorist, and pamphleteer. Between the 2000s and late 2010s, he was engaged in “a massive campaign” of proselytizing Westerners to Islam, producing dozens of vividly illustrated books. On 11 January 2021, Oktar was sentenced to 1,075 years in prison after being tried for charges including forming a criminal enterprise, financial fraud, and sexual abuse.
However, on 15 March 2022, Oktar’s verdict was overturned by the Turkish Court of Appeal “due to incomplete prosecution and erroneous assessment.” He was subsequently sentenced to 8,658 years on 17 November 2022 as a result of his retrial. According to television reports, the sentence was Turkey’s longest sentence for fraud and sexual abuse commitment.
10. Rigoberto Vazquez Hernandez (7,000 Years)
Rigoberto Vazquez Hernandez is an American murderer and the Perpetrator of a 2013 triple homicide outside of a nightclub in Dallas where he shot three people point blank. In 2015, a jury found Rigoberto guilty of capital murder and the trial court assessed punishment at life imprisonment without parole.
Hernandez filed his pro se federal habeas petition in the instant case, challenging his conviction and claiming the trial court failed to instruct the jury on self-defense. He was however resentenced to 7,000 years in imprisonment and eligibility for parole after 55 years.
