The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Sheldon Mays, 25, of New Jersey, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for possession of a weapon while an inmate in a federal correctional facility.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on July 27, 2024, Mays, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, near Minersville, possessed a sharpened plastic weapon with a cloth handle.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations.

All people charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.