Houston man pleads guilty to federal charge for burglarizing ATM in Hardin County

A Houston man pleaded guilty May 15 in the Western District of Kentucky to a federal charge of burglarizing an ATM in Hardin County.

The plea covers a single violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(b), which prohibits taking money or property valued at more than $1,000 belonging to a federally insured financial institution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky announced the plea in a press release issued the same day.

SCOPE The case involves one defendant and one ATM location in Hardin County, Kentucky. Federal bank burglary statutes apply to any depository institution insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; the statute carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The government has not yet disclosed the exact dollar amount taken, which will determine the final restitution figure at sentencing.

WHAT IT CHANGES Prior to the plea the defendant faced an open indictment. The guilty plea establishes criminal liability and shifts the case from pretrial litigation to sentencing. U.S. District Judge will now schedule a sentencing hearing at which the court must calculate the advisory federal guidelines range, order full restitution to the victim bank, and decide any term of imprisonment, supervised release, or additional fines.

Sentencing is expected within 90 days under standard federal timelines.

WHY IT MATTERS DOWNSTREAM The conviction requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to update the defendant’s criminal record in the national database used by background checks and firearms licensing. The bank victim must submit a precise loss statement to the U.S. Attorney’s Office before sentencing so the court can enter a mandatory restitution order enforceable through the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act.

Probation officers will prepare a presentence investigation report that triggers review by the Bureau of Prisons for designation once a sentence is imposed. The case forms part of the Justice Department’s routine enforcement of federal bank-crime statutes in the Western District of Kentucky.

CONTEXT The Department of Justice has pursued ATM burglary cases under the same statute for decades. This plea follows standard procedure for single-defendant bank-related property crimes in rural Kentucky counties and does not reflect a new enforcement initiative.