Last of Three Defendants Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Role in Armed Carjackings

CLEVELAND – A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for his role during violent carjackings in Cleveland in July 2025.

Tayveonn Elliott, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 192 months (16 years) in prison and five years of supervised released by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan after pleading guilty to:
•    Carjacking
•    Using or Carrying and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

Judge Gaughan also ordered him to pay $25,199.81 in restitution, jointly and severally with co-defendants Mickey Hodge, 23, and Tye Campbell, 20, both of Cleveland. Hodge is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, and Campbell was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison.

According to court documents, on July 16, 2025, three victims were carjacked by a coordinated group of armed assailants, later identified as Hodge, Elliott, and Campbell. The day before the carjackings, a food delivery service employee left his Honda Civic briefly to deliver food to a residence. But when he returned, his car was gone. The next morning at 4 a.m., the defendants threatened a valet at a downtown hotel and demanded the keys to vehicles she had parked. In fear of her life, she complied and the suspects took a Nissan Altima, while a third co-conspirator drove away in the Honda stolen from the delivery service driver. At about 7:30 a.m. the same morning, a woman sitting in her Toyota RAV4 was carjacked at gunpoint in a gym parking lot. Also fearing for her life, she gave the suspects the car keys and they drove off. Later, at about 6 p.m., a third victim was threatened at gunpoint, and he gave the suspects the keys to his Ford Explorer. About four hours later, law enforcement located the Honda Civic and activated lights to initiate a traffic stop. However, the Honda sped away and crashed into two other vehicles at an intersection.  Several suspects, including Hodge and Elliott, got out of the car  and fled on foot but were apprehended. Campbell was arrested on a later date.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division and the Cleveland Division of Police.

Assistant United States Attorney Scott Zarzycki led the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.