Memphis Man Sentenced to 292 Months in Prison for Carjacking, Weapons Possession

MEMPHIS, TN—Mario Evans, 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 292 months in prison on Friday following his guilty plea to carjacking, using a firearm during a violent crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III.

According to facts presented at sentencing, on July 18, 2008 Evans and an accomplice carjacked a woman in the parking lot of the Walmart located at 3950 Austin Peay Highway, Memphis. Evans brandished a semi-automatic pistol and ordered the woman to exit her 2007 Ford Escape and give him the keys. After she exited the vehicle, Evans demanded her purse and struck the woman on the hand with the pistol, breaking her little finger.

The victim’s son attempted to intervene, and Evans pointed the gun at his face and threatened him. Evans and his accomplice then left the scene in the victim’s vehicle. They were picked up shortly thereafter by Memphis Police Department officers.

On August 11, 2011, Evans appeared before U.S. District Judge Samuel H. Mays, Jr. and pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of carjacking, and one count of using a weapon during the commission of a violent crime (carjacking). In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Mays ordered Evans to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

This case was investigated by the Safe Streets Task Force, which is composed of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Bartlett Police Department, and Germantown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel French represented the government.