PRESS RELEASE: Two Inmates, Kyle Stevens and James Sweeney, At Lewisburg Federal Prison Charged With Assault

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Middle District of Pennsylvania
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Two Inmates At Lewisburg Federal Prison Charged With Assault

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that two inmates at the United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, have been indicted today by a federal grand jury in Scranton for assaulting another inmate with a homemade weapon.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the superseding indictment charges Kyle Stevens, age 25, and James Sweeney, age 39, with assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting. The charges stem from an incident in February 2016 in which Stevens and Sweeney allegedly assaulted another inmate with a sharpened piece of metal commonly known as a “shank.” The superseding indictment also charges Stevens with possessing contraband in prison.

Stevens was previously indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2016, for assaulting an inmate in February 2015. The superseding indictment issued today by the grand jury adds the new assault to the previous indictment.

The investigations were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service. Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara.

Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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.

The maximum penalty under federal law is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

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