District Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Carjacking

            WASHINGTON – James Borum, 21, of Washington, DC, pleaded guilty today to armed carjacking in connection with several armed carjackings that occurred in January of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Borum pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of armed carjacking. Sentencing is scheduled for August 30, 2024, before Judge Lynn Leibovitz.  Armed carjacking carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years of incarceration. 

            According to the government’s evidence, on January 12, 2021, just after midnight, Borum and other individuals approached the victim as he was standing in front of his home in Northwest DC. The defendant and his accomplices, at least one of whom was armed with a firearm, pointed a firearm at the victim and demanded the keys to the victim’s car. Borum and his accomplices then took the keys to the victim’s car and fled from the area in that car. 

            At approximately 1:00 a.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department observed the victim’s vehicle speeding in the 2600 block of Benning Road, NE.  Police requested air support from MPD’s helicopter, Falcon-1, which tracked the victim’s vehicle, following it to the 3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue. As the victim’s vehicle approached the traffic circle located at 1 Municipal Place in Mount Rainier, Maryland, the vehicle struck a utility pole and flipped upside down. Borum exited and ran from the vehicle before being stopped by MPD officers.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Richard Carlton.