Inmate at USP Lee Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Weapon

ABINGDON, Virginia - An inmate at the USP Lee in Jonesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to unlawfully possessing a weapon inside the prison, Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced today.

Leonardo Acevedo-Vazquez, 28,  pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of possessing contraband in a prison, that contraband being a weapon. Acevedo-Vazquez, who faces up to an additional five years in prison for his most recent offense, will be sentenced on March 15, 2021.

According to court documents, on January 19, 2020, a staff member at USP Lee observed Acevedo-Vazquez in his cell holding a metal object in his right hand. The metal object was a prison made weapon, approximately 6.5 inches long, sharpened to a point at one end with a handle made of white sheet material on the other end.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Special Assistant United States Attorney Steven J. Luckie prosecuted the case for the United States.