Five men convicted of seven carjackings in four metro Atlanta counties have been sentenced to federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday.
“The defendants’ crimes were alarmingly violent,” U.S. Attorney John A. Horn said in an emailed statement. “These young men preyed upon the citizens of our community. A carjacking is a jarring event alone, but a string of them instills fear and unease throughout the entire community.”
Between Dec. 29, 2012, and Jan. 18, 2013, the five committed the carjackings in Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, and DeKalb counties, according to investigators. During several of the robberies, the men pointed guns at the victims and threatened to kill them before robbing them of their cars, personal belongings, cash and cellular telephones.
One of the victims was a pregnant woman who suffered pre-term labor as a result of her carjacking and had to be hospitalized, according to prosecutors. One of the five defendants was apprehended following a 100-mph chase through downtown Atlanta, Horn’s office said.
A federal grand jury indicted all five on May 20, 2014. The men received the following sentences:
- Ladarious Gibbs, a/k/a, "Lil D," 24, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $29,080.68 in restitution.
- Derek C. Turner, a/k/a, "Snoop," 22, was sentenced to 27 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $29,080.68 in restitution.
- Andre Clark, a/k/a, "Yammy," 23, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $1,428 in restitution.
- Brandon Washington, a/k/a, "Lil B," 21, was sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
- Raphael Banks, 26, of was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $500 in restitution.
The FBI, Atlanta police and Cobb County police investigated the case.
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