Federal Inmate Sentenced to Serve 15 Years in Federal Prison for Assault with Prohibited Object

OKLAHOMA CITY – JERRY EARNEST BALLARD, 41, of South Carolina, has been sentenced to serve 180 months in federal prison for committing assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a prohibited object at the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Federal Transfer Center (FTC) in Oklahoma City, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On February 20, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a two-count Indictment against Ballard, charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a prohibited object. According to public record, on August 10, 2023, Ballard—an inmate at the FTC serving a 336-month federal sentence for four counts of robbery affecting interstate commerce and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking offense—assaulted another inmate with a sharpened object—a shank. The victim sustained injuries but recovered.

On July 17, 2024, Ballard pleaded guilty, and admitted he assaulted another inmate at the FTC with a prohibited object.

At the sentencing hearing on March 21, 2025, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Ballard to serve 180 months in federal prison, to run consecutive to his existing sentence. In announcing his sentence, Judge Palk noted Ballard’s history of assaultive behavior and the need for just punishment.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Special Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.