Federal inmate faces charges for assaulting officers and possessing contraband

OCALA, Florida — United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the arrest of Muller Vedrine, 33, of Miami, on a two-count indictment charging him with assaulting, resisting, and impeding officers of the United States, and possession of contraband by a federal inmate.

Vedrine, a federal inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County, was found with a cellphone during a routine search of his cell on March 10, 2024, according to court records. When correctional officers ordered Vedrine to hand over the contraband phone, he punched an officer in the chest and began smashing the phone. Officers subdued Vedrine and discovered buprenorphine, a Schedule III controlled substance, hidden with his legal documents.

If convicted, Vedrine faces up to 14 years in federal prison. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is part of a United States Department of Justice task force aimed at rooting out contraband and misconduct in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP). The task force was led by the FBOP and the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk is prosecuting the case.