Convicted murderer found guilty of assaulting corrections officer

FLORIDA – A convicted Florida murderer serving a life sentence has been found guilty of assaulting a federal corrections officer and possessing a shank.

United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that a federal jury today found Lester Lee Nash, 47, guilty of two counts of forcibly assaulting a federal officer causing bodily injury and one count of possessing a prohibited object (shank) while incarcerated in a federal prison.

A shank is a handcrafted bladed weapon.

Nash faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 17, 2023. Nash was indicted on August 31, 2021.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Nash was incarcerated at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County, serving a life sentence for murder. On June 11, 2021, Nash reportedly attacked one of the correctional officers in his cell block, striking him from behind and causing severe injuries.

Nash is said to have then charged another nearby correctional officer and struck him repeatedly. After Nash was subdued and searched, prison staff reportedly found a shank made from a sharpened toothbrush handle hidden in his underwear.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Hamilton and Sarah J. Swartzberg.