Maurice Edwards, a 22-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in an armed carjacking that took place in the Deanwood neighborhood in March 2024. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
A jury in D.C. Superior Court found Edwards guilty on November 21, 2024, of one count of armed carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The court imposed a sentence of 15 years for the armed carjacking charge and five years for the firearm offense, with both sentences to run concurrently. This results in a total sentence of 15 years.
The court denied Edwards’ request to be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA), which could have removed mandatory minimums from his sentencing. The judge noted that Edwards had previously received a YRA sentence and was out on pretrial release for another gun-related offense when he committed this crime.
According to evidence presented by prosecutors, on March 11, 2024, Edwards drove through a stop sign and collided with another vehicle at the intersection of 48th Place and Lee Street Northeast as the victim was returning home from work. After exiting their vehicle along with co-defendant Auzsa Beatty, Edwards used a handgun to threaten the victim. This led the victim to move away from his own vehicle’s driver-side door, allowing Beatty to take control of it and drive away.
Auzsa Beatty pleaded guilty to unarmed carjacking and received a seven-year prison sentence on January 9, 2026.
Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentencing decision.
The case was investigated by both the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and Mark Levy prosecuted the case.
