Three men arrested for numerous crimes including rape and kidnapping in an alleged burglary of a trailer on Swindall Road in October, have been indicted on federal charges.

Ronald Thomas, 25, his brother Kendrick Thomas, 23, and Anthony Turner, 23, faced a federal grand jury and were formally charged with conspiracy, carjacking, and the use of firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

All three suspects pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing on March 9 in a United States District Court in Montgomery.

If convicted, the three Barbour County men each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy, a maximum of 15 years for carjacking and a mandatory minimum of seven years with up to life in prison for the firearms charge.

The statement said that any sentence a defendant receives for a firearm charge must be served consecutively to any sentence received for conspiracy or carjacking.

If, for example, a suspect were found guilty and sentenced to 10 years for a weapons charge plus 5 years for conspiracy, consecutive sentences would keep the perpetrator behind bars for a total of 15 years.

This is opposed to concurrent sentences, which are served simultaneously, and in the same example, would see the offender released in just 10 years.

None of the suspects will be eligible for parole if found guilty since the charges are federal.

Trial is set for July 26, 2010 but all three individuals are scheduled to appear before a grand jury in Pike County in May to answer to related state charges.

The federal investigation leading to the indictment was a joint effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Troy Police Department and the Pike County District Attorneys Office.