Federal Inmate Sentenced for Possessing Contraband at USP Lewisburg

WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on August 17, 2022, Christopher Edwards, age 51, was sentenced to two months' imprisonment and a $25 special assessment by Magistrate Judge William I. Arbuckle for possessing an iPhone in prison. The sentence will run consecutively to Edwards' current federal sentence for trafficking cocaine and cocaine base in Easton, Pennsylvania. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons sanctioned Edwards by disallowing 41 days of good time, placing Edwards in disciplinary segregation for 45 days, and suspending Edwards' phone privileges for 14 months.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Edwards was an inmate housed at the prison camp of the United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. On October 22, 2021, a correctional officer spotted Edwards throw a sock down a housing range. The officer retrieved the sock, which held an iPhone, charging cord, and tool for removing SIM cards. Edwards admitted that he purchased the phone from another inmate. Federal law prohibits inmates from possessing cellphones to ensure institutional security.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman and Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel prosecuted the case.

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