Inmate Pleads Guilty to Possessing Weapon at FCI Beckley

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Quordell Tarver, 24, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Beckley, pleaded guilty today to possession of a weapon by an inmate of a federal prison.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 22, 2022, an FCI Beckley staff member conducted a visual search of Tarver and found a handcrafted weapon commonly known as a “shank” in Tarver’s underwear. The shank was a piece of metal, approximately 5 inches long, sharpened to a point at one end and with a piece of white shoelace wrapped around the base as a handle.

Tarver is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-62. 

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