(Cincinnati, OH)--A federal grand jury has indicted five Middletown residents in the robbery of a diamond and jewelry merchant from Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
The federal prosecutor for Ohio's southern district says the people were indicted this month on a charge of conspiring to commit a Hobbs Act robbery.
That federal law prohibits interference with interstate commerce. Violating it is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman says the government is seeking forfeiture of more than $1 million obtained as a result of the April 2 robbery. His statement didn't specify details about how that allegedly occurred.
The FBI began investigating after the merchant filed a police report in Pennsylvania.
Three defendants appeared in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on Friday. Two are in state custody.
(This article contains information from the Associated Press)