Justin and Whitney Shaw
Introduction
Justin and Whitney Shaw were sentenced to federal prison for a drug-smuggling scheme built around a prison visitation at the United States Penitentiary in Pollock. On October 23, 2026, United States District Judge Jerry Edwards, Jr. sentenced Justin Shaw, 40, to 51 months for Possessing Contraband in Prison, and Whitney Shaw, 42, of Coldwater, Mississippi, to 50 months plus two years of supervised release for Providing Contraband in Prison. The scheme’s centerpiece — the January 20, 2025 visitation during which surveillance footage captured Whitney removing an object from her pants and handing it to Justin — is the conduct that places this page within this site’s coverage window.
Background Information
According to court documents, Justin Shaw was an inmate at the United States Penitentiary in Pollock (USP-Pollock) when Whitney Shaw, of Coldwater, Mississippi, visited him on January 20, 2025. Surveillance footage captured Whitney removing an object from her pants and handing it to Justin during the visit. After examination, the object was determined to be 33.4 grams of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol wax, a prohibited substance inside USP-Pollock. The case proceeded as a two-defendant prosecution in the Western District of Louisiana, tracked under Case Numbers 1:25-cr-00205-01 (Justin Shaw) and 1:25-cr-00205-02 (Whitney Shaw).
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced.
The visitation of January 20, 2025 supplied the core evidence for both convictions. According to court documents, Justin Shaw, an inmate at USP-Pollock, was visited by Whitney Shaw. Surveillance footage captured Whitney removing an object from her pants and handing it to Justin. After examination, the object was determined to be 33.4 grams of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol wax, a prohibited substance inside USP-Pollock. Staff immediately removed Justin from the visitation area, and the substance was confiscated. That January 2025 visitation date is why this page falls within this site’s coverage window.
Justin’s side of the exchange was resolved by his admission and plea. Justin admitted to knowingly obtaining and attempting to obtain contraband from Whitney. He previously pled guilty to Possessing Contraband in Prison on June 24, 2026.
A further search of Whitney broadened the case substantially. The search revealed additional contraband concealed in her clothing, including 17.3 grams of synthetic cannabinoid paper, 73.634 grams of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, and 8.554 grams of methamphetamine. All items were confirmed by laboratory testing. Whitney admitted that she knowingly provided and attempted to provide prohibited objects to Justin, and she previously pled guilty to Providing Contraband in Prison on June 23, 2026 — one day before her co-defendant’s plea.
The sentences arrived on the same day. On October 23, 2026, Judge Jerry Edwards, Jr. sentenced Justin Shaw, 40, to 51 months in federal prison for Possessing Contraband in Prison, and, on the same day, sentenced Whitney Shaw, 42, of Coldwater, Mississippi, to 50 months in federal prison for Providing Contraband in Prison, followed by two years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
Public Reaction and Consequences
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said: “Smuggling drugs into prisons endangers guards, inmates, and other personnel, and our Office stands ready to prosecute anyone, including inmates’ family members, who perpetrate this reckless, dangerous crime.” He added: “These sentences reflect the serious consequences for family members and inmates alike who choose this dangerous path, and our Office will continue working with our federal and state partners to investigate this dangerous criminal activity and hold its perpetrators to account.” The consequences split the pair across two convictions: 51 months in federal prison for Justin, and 50 months plus two years of supervised release for Whitney. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and correctional staff at USP-Pollock, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheyenne Y. Wilson with assistance from Legal Assistant Amanda Morgan.
Current Status
Both Shaws have been convicted and sentenced. Justin Shaw, 40, pled guilty on June 24, 2026, and received 51 months; Whitney Shaw, 42, pled guilty one day earlier, on June 23, 2026, and received 50 months plus two years of supervised release, with both sentences imposed by Judge Jerry Edwards, Jr. on October 23, 2026. The lab-confirmed contraband totals — 33.4 grams of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol wax handed during the visit, plus 17.3 grams of synthetic cannabinoid paper, 73.634 grams of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, and 8.554 grams of methamphetamine found concealed in Whitney’s clothing — stand as the factual core of the record. No appeals or further proceedings are mentioned. The case is docketed under Case Numbers 1:25-cr-00205-01 (Justin Shaw) and 1:25-cr-00205-02 (Whitney Shaw).
Impact on Their Career/Life
Justin Shaw, 40 — already an inmate at USP-Pollock when the contraband changed hands — will now serve 51 months in federal prison for possessing it, and his admission that he knowingly obtained and attempted to obtain contraband now forms part of his federal record. Whitney Shaw, 42, of Coldwater, Mississippi, will serve 50 months followed by two years of supervised release for providing it. A single visitation on January 20, 2025 — an object passed from her pants to his hand under surveillance — produced parallel federal convictions for both, with the methamphetamine, THC, and synthetic cannabinoid paper found concealed in her clothing completing the lab-confirmed record.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana, “Mississippi Woman and Federal Inmate Sentenced for Drug Smuggling Scheme at the United States Penitentiary in Pollock”, October 29, 2026 — source