Inmate Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Weapon at FCI McDowell

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. - Tony Lashon Cleveland Jr., 27, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell, was sentenced today to one year and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a weapon by an inmate at a federal prison.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about September 12, 2023, an FCI McDowell staff member conducted a pat-down search of Cleveland and found a handcrafted weapon commonly known as a "shank" in one of his socks. The shank was a piece of metal approximately five inches long with a sharpened point on one end and melted plastic on the other end to form a handle. Cleveland admitted to possessing the shank, and further admitted that it was designed and intended to be used as a weapon. Today's sentence will run consecutively to his undischarged term of incarceration.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-62.