The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that Jamal Townsend, 35, an inmate at FCI Schuylkill, was charged with possessing a weapon in prison.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus reported that a federal grand jury indicted Townsend on March 27, 2025. The indictment claims that Townsend possessed a sharpened piece of plastic about seven inches long with a cloth handle on February 20, 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Zenzinger is handling the prosecution.
If convicted, the maximum penalty for the offense under federal law is five years in prison, a fine, and supervised release following imprisonment. Sentencing decisions will be made by a judge, considering federal sentencing statutes and guidelines.
Indictments are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.