The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury in Scranton charged Brian Foster, 40, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institute Schuylkill, with possessing contraband.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Foster was found in possession of a 5-inch piece of plastic sharpened to a point with a taped handle, commonly referred to as a “shank.”

Inmate Turkory Hargrove, 23, was also found in possession of a 7-inch piece of plastic sharpened to a point with a cloth handle.

These matters were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Gallagher is prosecuting the case.

They face a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.