U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson | U.S. Department of Justice
Joshua J. Hardy, a 35-year-old resident of Auburn, Indiana, has been sentenced to 180 months in prison by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady. This follows his guilty plea to two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possessing a machinegun, as announced by United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Hardy's sentence includes two years of supervised release after his prison term. The case documents reveal that between April 2023 and May 2024, law enforcement discovered Hardy with machineguns and firearms he was not legally allowed to possess due to a prior felony conviction.
The investigation led to Hardy's arrest on April 25, 2024. Law enforcement officers attempted to stop him for an active warrant, but Hardy fled in a vehicle, eventually crashing into a building. After a brief foot chase, he was apprehended. Officers found eight machinegun conversion devices inside the vehicle he was driving. These devices convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones and are classified as machineguns under federal law.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from several local police departments including Auburn Police Department and Indiana State Police among others. Assistant United States Attorney Teresa L. Ashcraft prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The program focuses on fostering trust within communities, supporting organizations that prevent violence, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
