Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for a Series of Maryland Carjackings and for Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today 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.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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