Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky returned an indictment today charging a local man with multiple business robberies.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Chief Erika Shields of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court records, Samuel Harding, 49, of Louisville, was charged with five counts of interference with commerce by robbery, and five counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The defendant is currently in custody on state charges and will be arraigned in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky once he is transferred to federal custody. If convicted of a business robbery, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. If convicted of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a business robbery, he faces a minimum sentence of 7 years and maximum sentence of life in prison to run consecutively with all other sentences. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Louisville Metro Police Department and the Shively Police Department are investigating the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Lantz is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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