Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Eric Mercado, 32, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was arrested in Georgia, and Steven Hardy, 42, of Maynard, Massachusetts, was arrested in Maynard, and both were charged today by criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Maine with conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery.
According to the complaint, on May 10, 2019, Mercado, Hardy and others drove from outside of Maine to a residence in York, Maine in order to commit an armed home invasion robbery to steal marijuana and marijuana sales proceeds. Both men, wearing face masks, entered the residence armed with firearms which they discharged during the attempted robbery. After discharging the firearms, they fled.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Mercado’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Savannah, Georgia and Hardy’s initial appearance in Worcester, Massachusetts, have not yet been scheduled.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI, in conjunction with the York Police Department.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
