Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
Semaj Ayers, 23, of Detroit, has been sentenced to 110 months in federal prison for his role in a kidnapping case. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., alongside Special Agent in Charge James M. Deir of the ATF in Michigan.
Ayers pleaded guilty to kidnapping on March 18, 2025. The incident involved seven people charged with conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping. Six individuals were convicted: Cortez Blake and Nasir Lewis were found guilty at trial; Maijah Greene pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap; Shatonnia Kimbrough, Armond Williams, and Ayers all pleaded guilty to kidnapping. The seventh defendant, Karamoh Turner, was acquitted at trial.
Evidence presented during the trials showed that the group kidnapped and beat their victim after wrongly believing she had participated in a carjacking. The kidnappers took the victim from Sinai-Grace Hospital, transported her to an empty lot where she was beaten, then moved her to a residence controlled by Blake where she was held at gunpoint and beaten for hours before being left miles away.
The government established that cellphones were used throughout the crime to coordinate actions among participants. Two others involved in the original carjacking—Jamar Lee-Stinson and Amiaya Bryant—were previously sentenced after pleading guilty to carjacking and discharging a firearm during a violent crime.
“Gang violence destroys the ability of innocent people in our community to simply go about their business. These defendants tried to take vengeance against another group and committed horrible violent crimes. And they kidnapped the wrong person to boot,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon. “We will do everything in our power to end this violence. The sentences imposed here—and the prosecutions we are bringing—are just the beginning.”
“Pure and simple, Ayers and his accomplices are predators who failed. They represent the worst of the worst in our community. They wrongfully imprisoned and tortured a member of our community. ATF is the federal violent crime police, and we are relentless in holding violent offenders accountable for their poor choices,” said ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “In the end, Ayers should pack his bags and prepare to be reunited with his buddies as they seek redemption in federal prison for a long time.”
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative led by the United States Attorney’s Office aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and community organizations across https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/project-safe-neighborhoods . PSN targets violent offenders while supporting prevention programs designed for lasting reductions in local crime rates.
The investigation involved several agencies working together including ATF, Office of Inspector General – U.S Department of Labor, United States Marshals Service, Detroit Police Department’s Gang Intelligence Unit, and Michigan Department of Corrections.
