Two Orlando Men Federally Indicted On Carjacking Charges

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Orlando residents Dante Askins (18) and Gregory McDonald (18) with carjacking and using a firearm while committing that offense. Each faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison for the carjacking conviction and a mandatory 7-year consecutive term of imprisonment for the firearm conviction.

According to court documents, on August 12, 2015, Askins and McDonald committed an armed carjacking of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at a hotel in Orlando. The victim, who was on vacation with his family, had gone down to his vehicle in the hotel parking lot to preload his GPS for a trip to Destin the next morning. Askins, McDonald, and two minors approached the victim with a firearm, pistol whipped him, and forced him into the back of his vehicle. The carjackers held the victim for approximately two hours. When OnStar location services contacted the vehicle, the carjackers fled and the victim escaped.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany L. Cummins.

Update: Arraignment has been set for Tuesday, October 6, 2015, at 10:00 AM in Orlando Courtroom 4 C before Magistrate Judge Thomas B. Smith.