SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Omar Loya, age 29, and Guillermo Macedo-Cruz, age 37, inmates at the United States Penitentiary at Canaan (USP Canaan), were indicted on April 11, 2017, by a federal grand jury on assault and weapons charges.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that on February 8, 2017, the defendants conspired to assault another inmate at USP Canaan with a dangerous weapon.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalties under federal law for these offenses are 10 years of imprisonment for assault with a dangerous weapon, five years of imprisonment for conspiracy to assault and five years of imprisonment for possession of a weapon by an inmate. Each sentence can include a term of supervised release and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
