A federal jury in Oklahoma City has found Bryan Joshua Tewanema, 31, of Arizona, guilty of possessing a prohibited object at the Federal Transfer Center. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Tewanema was charged on July 17, 2024, with possession of a prohibited object. On December 4, 2024, after a two-day trial, the jury returned a guilty verdict. During the trial, evidence showed that on May 29, 2024, corrections officers discovered a sharpened piece of plexiglass—referred to as a "shank"—hidden in Tewanema's pant leg. This incident marked the fourth time such an object had been found either on his person or in his assigned cell.
Tewanema faces up to five years in federal prison for this conviction. This sentence would be served consecutively to his existing sentences for second-degree murder and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He also faces a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Special Investigative Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Edgmon and Jordan Ganz.
Further details can be obtained from public filings.