Southern Maine Man Sentenced To Over 15 Years On Interstate Robbery And Gun Charges

A 33-year-old Lewiston man was sentenced on Friday in U.S. District Court to 184 months in prison and five years of supervised release for interstate robbery conspiracy and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Victor Lara Jr. was convicted following a jury trial on September 12, 2016.

Court records and trial evidence revealed that on August 2, 2014, at about 11:00 p.m., the defendant, armed with a crowbar, and associates, armed with firearms, broke into a residence on the Garfield Road in Minot, Maine intending to steal drugs and money from its occupants. The defendant used the crowbar to repeatedly assault the occupants and encouraged his associates to shoot them.

The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police; the Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.