A 28-count federal indictment was unsealed today, charging five men with crimes related to a series of carjackings in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland office.

Indicted are: Kenneth Jackson, Jr., 19, of Cleveland; Tervon’tae Taylor, 22, of Cleveland Heights; D’wan Dillard, Jr., 19, of Cleveland; Antowine Palmer, 23, of Cleveland, and Calvin Rembert, 22, of Cleveland. The charges include carjacking and multiple counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Palmer is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Conduct alleged in the indictment includes six different armed robberies that took place in July and August 2015.

“Those who use guns to terrorize our community must be held accountable,” Dettelbach said. “These charges entail violent actions including using firearms to take what they wanted from people. The FBI and Cleveland police did an outstanding job finding and arresting this crew.”

“Those indicted terrorized victims and the city with their dangerous, gun wielding car thefts,” Anthony said. “The Violent Crime Task Force and our local partners are committed to aggressively investigate predators who choose to engage in heinous acts of violence against our citizens.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Galvin and Kevin Filiatraut following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cleveland Division of Police.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.

An indictment is only charge is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.