Chicago Carjacker Sentenced to Six and a Half Years in Federal Prison

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for carjacking a rideshare driver’s vehicle at gunpoint in downtown Chicago.

NOAH RANSOM forcibly stole a Lexus RX350 from a Lyft driver on April 9, 2022.  The Lyft driver picked up Ransom and four other men at a downtown Chicago hotel around 4:00 a.m., and shortly thereafter Ransom pointed a gun at the driver and ordered him to stop the car and get out.  The victim complied and Ransom drove off with the other men in the victim’s car. 

About 90 minutes later, Illinois State Police identified the vehicle on the South Side of Chicago and ordered it to stop, but Ransom continued driving.  After a high-speed chase on multiple expressways for nearly 30 minutes, ISP forced the vehicle to a stop in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.  Ransom was arrested and the handgun was seized.

Ransom, 19, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal carjacking and firearm charges.  U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly imposed the sentence Tuesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by ISP and the Chicago Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Jodrey and Bradley A. Tucker.

“Committing a senseless act of violence like carjacking is a serious crime that will earn you a substantial federal prison sentence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual.  “We are working tirelessly with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to pursue, prosecute, and detain violent carjackers.”