UPDATE 1/16/2023: U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced James Albert Borum, age 20, of Washington, D.C., to 11 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for carjacking and for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with a series of carjackings he committed in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Jarod Towers of the City of Hyattsville Police Department; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
According to his guilty plea, in June 2021, Borum and his accomplices committed a series of carjackings in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. At the time, Borum was on pre-trial supervision related to charges in Washington, D.C. and was wearing an ankle monitor.
According to the plea agreement, Borum and an accomplice participated in four carjackings and an attempted carjacking. Borum admitted that a firearm was brandished in three of the carjackings.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on June 4, 2021, Victim 1 was beaten and carjacked by Borum and an accomplice, who also stole the victim’s cell phone. Victim 1’s wallet, which contained several items, including a bank card, was inside the vehicle at the time of the carjacking. Law enforcement recovered Victim 1’s bank card and a social security card in the name of Victim 1’s spouse from Borum’s bedroom during a search on July 1, 2021.
On June 10, 2021, Borum and his accomplice committed another carjacking in Silver Spring, Maryland. After Victim 2 had parked his car, he began walking into a nearby apartment courtyard. Borum and his accomplice followed Victim 2 and approached Victim 2 in the courtyard. Borum and the accomplice pointed a handgun at Victim 2’s forehead and stated, “I’ll kill you. Give me the keys.” Victim 2 gave Borum and the accomplice his keys and the carjackers drove away in Victim 2’s car. A global positioning device in Victim 2’s vehicle placed it near Borum’s home most of the time when the vehicle was not in use following the carjacking.
According to the plea agreement, on June 18, 2021, Borum and an accomplice attempted to carjack Victim 3 in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Cameron Street in Silver Spring. Borum and his accomplice demanded Victim 3’s keys, but she refused to give them up. Borum and the accomplice grabbed for Victim 3’s purse and a struggle ensued. Neither Borum nor his accomplice were able to obtain Victim 3’s keys, and both men fled as another vehicle pulled into the parking garage.
Surveillance footage obtained from the Rhode Island Avenue, Silver Spring, and Wheaton Metro stations both before and after the attempted carjacking shows Borum and his accomplice wearing clothing that matched the clothing worn by the carjackers. The footage also shows Borum wearing an ankle monitor and a distinctive white sweatshirt. The sweatshirt was later recovered from Borum’s residence.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on June 18, 2021, Borum and his accomplice carjacked Victim 4, who was sitting in his car in the parking lot in the 3500 block of East West Highway in Hyattsville, Maryland. Victim 4’s doors were unlocked and the windows were down. Borum and the accomplice opened the driver’s side door, pointed a gun at Victim 4’s head, and told him to get out of the car. Borum and the accomplice pulled Victim 4 out of the vehicle, pushed him to the ground, then got into Victim 4’s vehicle and drove away. Law enforcement tracked and recovered the vehicle later that evening in the 1200 block of Douglas Street, N.E. in Washington, D.C. The key to Victim 4’s car was found in Borum’s residence.
Finally, on June 23, 2021, Borum and an accomplice carjacked Victim 5 as Victim 5 was entering his car in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Colesville Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. Borum and his accomplice approached Victim 5 from behind, held a black handgun at the left side of Victim 5’s head, and repeated, “Give me the keys!” Victim 5 handed the carjackers his keys and wallet. Borum and the accomplice then fled in Victim 5’s vehicle. Victim 5’s vehicle was located by law enforcement five days later, parked on the same block as Borum’s residence. Borum’s fingerprints were identified on the car.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the City of Hyattsville Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared C. Engelking and Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Collins, who prosecuted the case.
8/4/2022: James Albert Borum, age 19, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on July 29, 2022, to federal charges of carjacking and to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
According to his guilty plea, in June 2021, Borum and his accomplices committed a series of carjackings in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. At the time, Borum was on pre-trial supervision related to charges in Washington, D.C. and was wearing an ankle monitor. According to the plea agreement, Borum and an accomplice participated in four carjackings and an attempted carjacking. Borum admitted that a firearm was brandished in three of the carjackings.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on June 4, 2021, Victim A was beaten and carjacked by Borum and an accomplice, who also stole the victim’s cell phone. Victim A’s wallet, which contained several items, including a bank card, was inside the vehicle at the time of the carjacking. Law enforcement recovered Victim A’s bank card and a social security card in the name of Victim A’s spouse from Borum’s bedroom during a search on July 1, 2021.
On June 10, 2021, Borum and his accomplice committed another carjacking in Silver Spring, Maryland. After Victim B had parked his car, he began walking into a nearby apartment courtyard. Borum and his accomplice followed Victim B and approached Victim B in the courtyard. Borum and the accomplice pointed a handgun at Victim B’s forehead and stated, “I’ll kill you. Give me the keys.” Victim B gave Borum and the accomplice his keys and the carjackers drove away in Victim B’s car. A global positioning device in Victim B’s vehicle placed it near Borum’s home most of the time when the vehicle was not in use following the carjacking.
According to the plea agreement, on June 18, 2021, Borum and an accomplice attempted to carjack Victim C in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Cameron Street in Silver Spring. Borum and his accomplice demanded Victim C’s keys, but she refused to give them up. Borum and the accomplice grabbed for Victim C’s purse and a struggle ensued. Neither Borum nor his accomplice were able to obtain Victim C’s keys, and both men fled as another vehicle pulled into the parking garage.
Surveillance footage obtained from the Rhode Island Avenue, Silver Spring, and Wheaton Metro stations both before and after the attempted carjacking shows Borum and his accomplice wearing clothing that matched the clothing worn by the carjackers. The footage also shows Borum wearing an ankle monitor and a distinctive white sweatshirt. The sweatshirt was later recovered from Borum’s residence.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on June 18, 2021, Borum and his accomplice carjacked Victim D, who was sitting in his car in the parking lot in the 3500 block of East West Highway in Hyattsville, Maryland. Victim D’s doors were unlocked and the windows were down. Borum and the accomplice opened the driver’s side door, pointed a gun at Victim D’s head, and told him to get out of the car. Borum and the accomplice pulled Victim D out of the vehicle, pushed him to the ground, then got into Victim D’s vehicle and drove away. Law enforcement tracked and recovered the vehicle later that evening in the 1200 block of Douglas Street, N.E. in Washington, D.C. The key to Victim D’s car was found in Borum’s residence.
Finally, on June 23, 2021, Victim E was carjacked by Borum and an accomplice carjacked Victim E as Victim E was entering his car in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Colesville Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. Borum and his accomplice approached Victim E from behind, held a black handgun at the left side of Victim E’s head, and repeated, “Give me the keys!” Victim E handed the carjackers his keys and wallet. Borum and the accomplice then fled in Victim E’s vehicle. Victim E’s vehicle was located by law enforcement five days later, parked on the same block as Borum’s residence. Borum’s fingerprints were identified on the car.
Borum and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Borum will be sentenced to between 90 months and 169 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for November 22, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared C. Engelking and Assistant United States Attorney Dana J. Brusca, who are prosecuting the case.
Monday, January 10, 2022;
A federal criminal complaint was filed on January 7, 2022, charging James Albert Borum, age 19, of Washington, D.C., for carjacking and for using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Borum is alleged to have participated in a series of carjackings committed in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in June 2021. As detailed in the affidavit, location monitoring data for an ankle bracelet that Borum was wearing at the time and cellular location information for Borum’s phone allegedly put him in the area of each of the three carjackings and an attempted carjacking. In addition, surveillance images from the locations of the crimes, witness and victim statements, forensic evidence, and items recovered from a search warrant executed at Borum’s residence on July 1, 2021, allegedly indicate that Borum participated in the carjackings. As detailed in the affidavit, at the time of the June carjackings, Borum was on pre-trial supervision with the condition that he be subject to location monitoring with an ankle bracelet in connection with an unrelated carjacking charge pending in D.C. Superior Court.
Specifically, the affidavit alleges that on June 4, 2021, Victim 1 was beaten and carjacked by two males, who also stole his Apple iPhone 8. Victim 1’s wallet, which contained several items, including a bank card, was inside the vehicle at the time of the carjacking. Law enforcement recovered Victim 1’s bank card and a social security card in the name of Victim 1’s spouse from Borum’s bedroom during the search on July 1, 2021.
On June 10, 2021, the affidavit alleges that two individuals committed an armed carjacking in Silver Spring, Maryland. After Victim 2 had parked his car, he began walking into a nearby apartment courtyard. Two individuals followed Victim 2 and approached him as he was in the courtyard. According to the affidavit, one of these individuals pointed a handgun at Victim 2’s forehead and stated, “I’ll kill you. Give me the keys,” while the second individual stood behind Victim 2. Victim 2 gave one of the individuals his keys and the carjackers drove away in Victim 2’s car. At the time of the carjacking, Victim 2 had $950 in his vehicle. The day after the carjacking, an unknown number texted Borum asking him what car he was in. Borum replied that he was in a “2 door Honda.” The vehicle taken from Victim 2 in the carjacking was a two-door Honda Accord.
As detailed in the affidavit, two individuals attempted to carjack Victim 3 in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Cameron Street in Silver Spring. During the attempted carjacking, Victim 3 saw her colleague pulling into the parking lot and told the two males that her colleague was coming and that she would not call the police if they left her alone. Both males fled. As they ran away, Victim 3 got into her colleague’s vehicle and as they left the garage, they saw the males running away and Victim 3 took a photo of them from behind. Victim 3 gave law enforcement a description of her attackers, including that one of the attackers had on an ankle monitor, a distinctive white hooded sweatshirt and a white facemask that was not covering his face.
According to the affidavit, surveillance footage obtained from the Rhode Island Avenue, Silver Spring, and Wheaton Metro stations both before and after the attempted carjacking shows Borum and a second individual wearing clothing that matched the descriptions Victim 3 provided and pictured in the photograph taken by Victim 3. The footage also shows Borum wearing an ankle monitor. The Silver Spring Metro station is located approximately 0.4 miles from 8700 Cameron Street.
Finally, on June 23, 2021, Victim 4 was carjacked by two men as he was entering his car. The first man allegedly approached Victim 4 from behind and held a black handgun at the left side of Victim 4’s head and repeated, “Give me the keys!” Victim 4 handed the man his keys and wallet. The man got into the driver’s seat and a second man jumped into the front passenger seat. The carjackers then fled in Victim 4’s vehicle. As alleged in the affidavit, Victim 4’s vehicle was located five days later parked on the same block as Borum’s residence and Borum’s fingerprints were identified on the car.
If convicted, Borum faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for carjacking and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Borum is currently detained in Washington, D.C. and no court appearance in Maryland has been scheduled yet.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case is a result of the Regional Carjacking Prosecution Task Force, which was created to ensure the prosecution of individuals who engage in carjacking and robberies in multiple jurisdictions. Federal and state prosecutors and law enforcement are working together to ensure that investigations and prosecutions encompass all of a perpetrator’s crimes, even if they are committed in multiple jurisdictions. Members of the Regional Carjacking Prosecution Task Force are the United States Attorney’s Offices for Maryland and for the District of Columbia; the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office; the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office; and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. This cross-border partnership between federal and state prosecutors’ offices mirrors similar collaboration among the police departments in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, Washington, D.C., and among the FBI and ATF.
