By Francis Scarcella
The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
LEWISBURG, Pa. — A 38-year-old Maryland man will serve 15 months in federal prison for scaling the fence at the Lewisburg federal prison in an attempt to provide contraband to an inmate.
James Hampton-Smith, age 38, of Aberdeen, Maryland, was sentenced by Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann to 15 months in prison, according to U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller.
Miller said that on Aug. 14, security officers at the United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg, observed Hampton-Smith climb the prison perimeter fence around 12:25 a.m.
Utilizing a thermal imaging device, security officers watched the defendant jump down onto prison grounds and place a backpack in a trash can near the facility’s basketball court, officials said.
The bag’s contents included vape pens, cellphones, cutting tools and synthetic marijuana, Miller said.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tatum Wilson and Robin Zenzinger, who served as a Northumberland County Assistant District Attorney, prosecuted the case.
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