Blayze Harding, Perjury, Iowa 2020

Blayze Harding, a 27-year-old man from Oxford, Iowa, has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for testifying falsely at the trial of a Cedar Rapids man in 2019.

According to court documents, Harding pleaded guilty in January 2020 to one count of making a false statement before a federal court. In a plea agreement, he admitted to testifying falsely as a witness in the case of United States of America v. Carl McArthur on May 14, 2019.

Harding’s false testimony substantially interfered with the administration of justice, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment, which will be served consecutive to his existing sentences in the Iowa District Courts for Johnson County and Fayette County.

Harding will also serve a three-year term of supervised release after his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. He is currently being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Corkery and Patrick Reinert, with the assistance of the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is comprised of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice initiative aimed at reducing violent crime. PSN brings together a broad spectrum of stakeholders to identify and develop comprehensive solutions to address violent crime problems in communities.

It is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. The initiative enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes.

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