Mother-Daughter Duo Sentenced to a Total of Twelve Years in Federal Prison for Robberies of Six Indianapolis Banks

INDIANAPOLIS- Sierra Hunt, 56, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 68 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to bank robbery.

In October of 2023, Sierra’s daughter, Shamiya Hunt, was sentenced to 76 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to bank robbery and attempted bank robbery while on supervised release for a previous heroin trafficking conviction.

According to court documents, between April 9 and April 15, 2022, Sierra Hunt robbed four Chase Banks in the Indianapolis area. In each robbery, she approached the teller, gave a note demanding the teller put money in the bag and no one would get hurt, and left with cash. As a result of the four bank robberies committed by Sierra, the banks suffered a loss of $26,655.

One of the notes was written on the back of a Family Dollar store receipt. IMPD officers used that receipt to locate Sierra and subsequently arrest her. However, she was released on bond in April. While out on bond, Sierra assisted her daughter, Shamiya Hunt, as a getaway driver in two additional bank robberies.

In total, Sierra robbed four banks and participated in two additional bank robberies as the getaway driver. Shamiya robbed two banks: 

Sierra Hunt has been previously convicted of multiple felonies including theft, conversion, and child selling.

“It is incredibly disheartening to see a mother and daughter working together to victimize so many folks who were just going about their day working at and patronizing the bank,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the quick investigative work of the FBI, these defendants have been held accountable for their actions. The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that these crimes carry serious consequences.”

This case was investigated by the FBI. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge, Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Hunt be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following her release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate, who prosecuted these cases.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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