Two Defendants Admit to Participating in The Kidnapping of a Victim at Maryland Hotel and Casino

Greenbelt, Maryland “ Anthony Erik Hebron, a/k/a œPain, age 23, of Washington, D.C., and Darius Lawrence Young, a/k/a œMup, age 29, also of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today and Tuesday, respectively, to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping of a victim from a Maryland hotel and casino.  Darius Young also pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to their guilty pleas, on February 3, 2021, Young, Hebron, co-defendant Christopher Young, age 26, of Washington, D.C., co-defendant Lamar Perkins, age 27, of Washington, D.C., and Co-conspirator 1 worked together to kidnap a victim from a Maryland casino and hotel.

As stated in their pleas, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 met Victim A at a hotel and casino, where they made the false promise that they would get women for Victim A if Victim A accompanied them to Southeast Washington, D.C.  At approximately 7:30 a.m., Victim A agreed to travel to Southeast Washington, D.C. in Co-conspirator 1's car with Hebron.

At 8:13 a.m., co-defendant Christopher Young called Darius Young to report that Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 had œsnatched Victim A.  Soon after Co-conspirator 1, Hebron, and Victim A arrived in Southeast D.C., Darius and Christopher Young entered into Co-conspirator 1's vehicle with Victim A inside.  Hebron then pointed a gun at Victim A.  At that time, Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 took Victim A's personal items including Victim A's wallet, cell phone, hotel room key, and a watch valued at $500.

Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 then demanded the code to Victim A's hotel safe.  When Victim A refused, Hebron struck Victim A in the forehead with the gun.  In response, Victim A told the co-conspirators the code to the hotel safe.  Hebron then forced Victim A out of the car.  Darius and Christopher Young then exited the vehicle with Victim A as Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 drove back to the hotel and casino to burglarize Victim A's hotel room.

As Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 traveled back to the hotel and casino, Darius and Christopher Young led Victim A at gunpoint to a boiler room inside a Southeast D.C. apartment building.  Darius Young then called Perkins and directed him to look out for police or anyone else that might hear or see Darius and Christopher Young with Victim A.  Inside the boiler room, Darius and Christopher Young repeatedly assaulted Victim A, threatened his life, demanded Victim A's PIN number to his ATM card, and demanded information about the items located in his hotel room.  Darius and Christopher Young then relayed this information to Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 by phone. 

Simultaneously, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 accessed Victim A's hotel room where they stole Victim A's property, including a gaming system, $1,500 in casino chips, and approximately $6,000 in cash. 

As stated in their plea agreements, after conspiracy members stole Victim A's hotel items, and left Victim A inside the Southeast D.C. apartment building, law enforcement saw Darius and Christopher Young walking away from the building.  Moments later, law enforcement located Victim A, who had sustained several injuries, including a bloody wound on his forehead, a broken nose, and cuts on his mouth and eye. 

Co-defendants Lamar Perkins and Christopher Young pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in February 2022 and are scheduled to be sentenced in May 2022.

Darius Young and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Young will be sentenced to between 12 and 13.5 years in federal prison.  Hebron and the government have agreed that, if the court accepts his plea agreement, Hebron will be sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled their sentencings for June 27, 2022, at 10 a.m. and August 8, 2022, at 10 a.m.; respectively.

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.

This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI Washington, and the FBI Baltimore Field Offices for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also praised the Prince George's County Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, who are prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/two-defendants-admit-participating-kidnapping-victim-maryland-hotel-and-casino

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