SEATTLE — Colton Harris-Moore is scheduled to enter a guilty plea Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
The change in plea sets the stage for a judge to determine how many years the Barefoot Bandit must spend behind bars.
The hearing was announced Thursday afternoon but details of the plea agreement were not immediately released.
The Camano Island man, 20, gained international notoriety for a two-year crime spree that included stolen planes and ended in a flurry of gunfire last July in the Bahamas.
Harris-Moore is charged with six federal crimes including plane theft, boat theft, a bank burglary and weapons violations.
Until now, Harris-Moore has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A change in plea was widely anticipated since a court filing last month that indicated prosecutors and Harris-Moore’s defense team were engaged in “meaningful negotiations” toward a plea agreement.
The change in plea likely will mean that Harris-Moore will avoid trial in federal court.
John Henry Browne, Harris-Moore’s defense attorney, has said he believes his client will receive a sentence of up to 12 years. The plea agreement is expected to prohibit Harris-Moore from profiting by selling his story.
Harris-Moore earned the nickname the Barefoot Bandit after he was seen running from crime scenes without shoes.
He also faces 30 state felonies in Island, San Juan and Skagit counties, plus in Nebraska.
The federal plea agreement likely will consolidate charges in other states and other federal jurisdictions, Browne has said.
A separate plea agreement to consolidate the state charges is expected to be negotiated in Island County.
Federal prosecutors are expected to make a statement Friday afternoon following the hearing.
Harris-Moore is being held at the Federal Detention Center in Seatac.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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