Philadelphia Man Who Committed Two Armed Carjackings Hours Apart Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Committing Two Armed Carjackings Hours Apart

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Amir Wilson, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Juan R. Sánchez to 192 months' imprisonment and five years of supervised release for his role in two armed carjackings committed in Philadelphia in May 2021.

In December 2023, a federal jury convicted Wilson of conspiracy, two counts of carjacking, and using or carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.

During the first carjacking, on May 15, 2021, Wilson and his co-conspirators pulled alongside a man leaving for work, brandished guns, and demanded his car key while holding him at gunpoint. The group then fled in their vehicle and the victim's stolen vehicle.

Hours later, at around 3 a.m. on May 16, 2021, Wilson and his co-conspirators pulled alongside two men who were leaving a graduation celebration for a friend. The carjackers again brandished guns, demanded the key to that victim's vehicle, and fled the scene in the victim's car. A short time later, Philadelphia police spotted the carjacked vehicle and attempted to stop it. The vehicle led police in a high-speed car chase, which ended with officers halting their pursuit for safety reasons. Police found the second victim's car abandoned nearby, a short time later.

At approximately 5:15 p.m. that same day, Philadelphia police spotted the first victim's vehicle. They attempted to stop the car, but it fled from police, leading them on another chase. Police caught up to the car after it struck another vehicle and crashed through a fence in North Philadelphia. Wilson fled from the car on foot and was apprehended thereafter on scene.

"These gunpoint carjackings were terrifying for the victims, who were targeted out of nowhere while just going about their lives," said U.S. Attorney Romero. "My office and our partners on the Carjacking Task Force won't stand for these senseless acts of violence and we're using every tool we've got to bring the criminals responsible to justice, as Amir Wilson now knows. Today's sentence keeps him off the street for quite a while and our community is safer, as a result."

"Carjacking is a dangerous federal crime that will land you in federal prison," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree. "This perpetrator threatened his victims with a gun, and twice recklessly raced the car he stole, endangering the neighborhood until he finally crashed it. The ATF Philadelphia Field Division works diligently with the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force to solve cases using ATF's unique forensic and investigative tools. Thanks to our cooperative efforts, this violent criminal has been taken off Philadelphia's streets, making our communities that much safer."

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Martin E. Howley, Jr. and Priya T. De Souza.