A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison for his role in two armed carjackings that occurred within a span of several days. United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Richard Pridgen, 20, received a sentence of 214 months’ imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $11,709.82 in restitution by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez.
Pridgen was charged by superseding indictment in August 2024 and pleaded guilty in October to two counts of carjacking and two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court records and statements made during the proceedings, the first incident took place on July 3, 2023. Pridgen approached a victim who was sitting in his parked blue Jeep and committed the carjacking at gunpoint with at least one co-conspirator who arrived separately.
On July 6, 2023, Pridgen joined by co-defendants Raheem Bivens and Raheim Brown used the previously stolen blue Jeep to carjack another victim for his white Jeep. Both Pridgen and Bivens pointed firearms equipped with extended magazines at the second victim while demanding the vehicle and keys. They left the scene in the white Jeep with Bivens driving.
Philadelphia police quickly located both vehicles and pursued all three suspects. During the pursuit, Bivens crashed the white Jeep into multiple cars while Brown crashed the blue Jeep into another vehicle. All three men attempted to flee but were apprehended by officers who also recovered both firearms involved. When taken into custody, Pridgen had identification belonging to the second victim.
At the time these offenses occurred, Pridgen had recently been released from juvenile state custody after serving time for multiple violent commercial robberies involving firearms committed in 2021.
Co-defendants Bivens, age 22, and Brown, age 25—both from Philadelphia—pleaded guilty earlier in 2024 to one count each of carjacking and using or brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. Each received sentences of 14 years’ imprisonment with five years supervised release; Bivens was also ordered to pay $11,709.82 in restitution.
The investigation was led by the Philadelphia Police Department alongside agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Shulman and Special Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Bowerman.
