Reagan T. Fondren Acting United States Attorney for the Western District Of Tennessee | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
A federal jury in Memphis has found Mervin Anderson, 40, guilty of possessing contraband while incarcerated at the Detention Center. Anderson was convicted on one count related to the possession of two homemade knives, commonly known as shanks.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that Anderson was seen on video surveillance holding two sharpened metal knives inside the facility. He reportedly confronted another inmate and swung the weapons at him. A corrections officer responded quickly and found Anderson still in possession of the shanks. When officers took the weapons from him, Anderson said, “God is on my side, I was about to kill that boy.”
Anderson could face up to five years in prison for this conviction. The date for his sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
He also faces charges in a separate case involving conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, with that trial set for November 3, 2025.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy for the Western District of Tennessee.
The U.S. Marshals Service and Shelby County Division of Corrections are conducting the investigation into this case.
Trial Attorneys Amanda J. Kotula and Cesar Rivera-Giraud from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting.
This prosecution is part of a larger Violent Crime Initiative in Memphis led by federal authorities working alongside local law enforcement agencies to address violent crime using federal laws when appropriate against gang members and associates.
