JERRY EARNEST BALLARD, a federal inmate from South Carolina, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and possessing a prohibited object. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Ballard, 41, received his sentence for actions committed while at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City. A federal Grand Jury indicted him on February 20, 2024, charging him with these offenses. According to public records, on August 10, 2023, Ballard, who is serving a 336-month sentence for multiple counts of robbery and firearm possession in drug trafficking, attacked another inmate with a sharpened object. The victim survived the attack.
Ballard pleaded guilty on July 17, 2024, admitting to assault with a prohibited object. At the sentencing on March 21, 2025, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced him to 180 months, to run consecutively with his current sentence. Judge Palk highlighted Ballard's assaultive behavior history when announcing the sentence.
The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Special Investigative Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon prosecuting the case. Further details are available in public filings.