KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A former Kansas inmate was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison for attacking a Leavenworth prison guard with a pair of scissors, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister. The defendant also was ordered to pay $18,692 in restitution.

Richard A. James, Jr., 27, who is in federal custody, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting a federal officer.

In his plea, he admitted he attacked Joseph Brian Wilson, a unit manager for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. James admitted he sharpened the ends of a pair of grooming scissors and stabbed Wilson.

Corrections officers had to pull James off Wilson to stop the attack. James later told investigators he wanted a “change of scenery” and hoped he would be moved to another prison because of the attack.