New Regional Carjacking Task Force for Maryland and D.C. Area

New Regional Carjacking Task Force for Maryland and D.C. Area

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Jonathan F. Lenzner, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced a new regional carjacking task force on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The goal of the task force is to increase cross-border coordination in the prosecution of carjackers.

When carjackers are involved in robberies across multiple jurisdictions, it can be difficult for law enforcement and courts to hold the criminals accountable for the full extent of their crimes. This carjacking task force will help alleviate this challenge.

New Task Force for Cross-Jurisdiction Prosecution

This new carjacking task force is made up of federal, state, and local prosecutors and law enforcement officials working to help law enforcement agencies in the region build detailed investigations together. These investigations will include all of a perpetrator’s crimes, even those committed in multiple jurisdictions.

“As it is now easier to track data and gather evidence on individuals between jurisdictions, it is even more crucial to hire an attorney when facing these types of criminal charges. ” says attorney David Benowitz.

The Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner for Maryland and Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia and the United States Attorneys John McCarthy for Montgomery County and Aisha Braveboy for Prince George’s County are excited about the possible outcomes of this new task force. It will keep criminals from escaping prosecution when crossing jurisdictional borders by bridging the gaps between federal and local law enforcement.

Spike in Carjacking Incidents in Maryland and D.C. Area

Recently, there’s been a significant increase in violent carjacking incidents in both Maryland and Washington, D.C. Hopefully, the formation of the carjacking task force will help quell these incidents by punishing the people responsible.

Carjacking is a public safety danger that both police officers and law enforcement in the involved jurisdictions take very seriously. By bringing the jurisdictions together through this task force, prosecutors can punish carjackers appropriately. The task force will also be working with law enforcement officers to find solutions to making the communities safer and bringing a stop to these incidents.

Carjacking Task Force Helping Already

The carjacking task force has already proven to be successful. A federal grand jury recently returned a federal indictment filed in Maryland that resulted from the task force’s collaboration. The two separate indictments charge three men with carjacking and related firearms offenses that happened in February 2021.

The first indictment charges two men, Elijah Greene-Parker and Rashaun Onley, with armed robbery and carjacking two victims in early February. It also charges them with using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during the carjacking. The carjacking task force is helping with the investigation of the case. The task force allows the FBI – Baltimore Field Office, Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, and City of Alexandria Police Department to work together in helping Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan prosecute the case.

The second indictment charges another man, Mikye Dione Speaks, with carjacking in mid-February. In this case, the man allegedly stole a Ford Edge from a victim at gunpoint. The task force helped with investigating the case. The Prince George’s County Police Department and FBI – Baltimore Field Office have been working together to help Assistant U.S. Attorney Rajeev R. Raghavan prosecute the case.

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