At one point, the prison warden himself recommended McGowan's transfer out of the CMU citing his good behavior, but the warden was overruled by the Bureau of Prison's Counterterrorism Unit, working with the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI.
El mateix guàrdia de la presó  va recomanar traslladar en McGowan fora de la CMU per bon comportament, però ho va denegar la Unitat Antiterrorista del Departament de Presons que treballa amb el Grup de Lluita Antiterrorista de l'FBI.