Hazelton Inmate Indicted on Contraband Charge
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 05, 2011 |
CLARKSBURG, WV—A 25 year old federal inmate was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on May 3, 2011.
United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that PETER FRANCO-FERNANDEZ was named in a one-count indictment. The Indictment alleges that FRANCO-FERNANDEZ, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary at Hazelton, possessed an object that was designed and intended to be used as a weapon on December 9, 2010.
If convicted, FRANCO-FERNANDEZ faces a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon S. Flower. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Investigative Services at USP Hazelton.
It should be noted that the charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt, and that each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.