MEMPHIS, TN (Sept. 30, 2025) – According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, a federal jury in Memphis convicted Mervin Anderson, 40, of one count of possession of contraband in prison for possessing two homemade metal knives, commonly known as shanks.
Court records and evidence presented at trial show Anderson was observed on video surveillance inside the detention center wielding two sharpened, handmade metal knives and confronting another inmate while swinging the shanks. A corrections officer responded to the cell block and recovered the weapons. When the shanks were taken from Anderson, he allegedly said, “God is on my side, I was about to kill that boy,” according to court filings.
Anderson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
Anderson is awaiting trial on a separate charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, a matter currently set for trial on Nov. 3, 2025.
The U.S. Marshals Service and the Shelby County Division of Corrections investigated the contraband matter. Trial attorneys Amanda J. Kotula and Cesar Rivera-Giraud of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section prosecuted the case as part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in Memphis, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee and other law enforcement partners.
