Leevah Mills, a 25-year-old resident of Philadelphia, has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for his involvement in an armed carjacking that occurred in July 2023. The sentence, which also includes five years of supervised release and restitution totaling $42,909, was handed down by United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond.
Mills was indicted in August 2023 on charges of carjacking and using a firearm during a violent crime. He pleaded guilty to both counts earlier this year.
According to court documents and statements from the defendant, Mills and two accomplices approached a 26-year-old man as he parked near his home in Northeast Philadelphia. They pointed semiautomatic pistols at him at close range, assaulted him with their weapons, stole his cell phone, and took off with his Dodge Charger.
Philadelphia police located the stolen vehicle soon after the incident. During an attempt to evade officers, Mills and his co-defendants crashed the car into another vehicle and then into a pole on Castor Avenue. The stolen car caught fire and was destroyed. Police apprehended all three suspects at the scene.
The other two individuals involved—Emmanuel Sia and Kysime Brown—have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing in October.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf commented on the case: “This roving crew of criminals ambushed and assaulted an innocent victim just trying to park his car and get home,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “My office and our partners on the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force will continue to target violent individuals like Leevah Mills, to improve public safety and the quality of life in our city.”
Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office added: “Armed carjackings are brazen crimes that leave victims with lasting trauma and communities living in fear,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office. “Today’s sentencing is a measure of justice, but more importantly, it is a promise to our community that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will not relent in protecting innocent people from senseless violence.”
The investigation was conducted by the Philadelphia Police Department along with the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski prosecuted the case.
