Jerome Israel, a 22-year-old from Washington, D.C., was sentenced on April 9 to serve 29 years in prison for his involvement in three carjackings that took place in August 2022, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The case highlights the ongoing concern over violent crimes involving carjackings in the District of Columbia and underscores law enforcement efforts to address these offenses.
Israel pleaded guilty on August 5, 2025, to one count of armed carjacking and two counts of unarmed carjacking before the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld declined to sentence Israel under the Youth Rehabilitation Act and affirmed her initial sentencing from March for Israel to serve a total of 29 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to government evidence presented at trial, Israel and a co-conspirator approached their first victim on August 20, 2022, as he unloaded items from his vehicle at the corner of 7th and D Streets SE. Wearing ski masks, one brandished a firearm while Israel took personal belongings including keys and drove off with the victim's Nissan Sentra. Three days later, using that stolen vehicle at a gas station on Pennsylvania Avenue SE, they confronted another victim driving a BMW; again brandishing a firearm and stealing both property and vehicles. Two days after that incident they targeted yet another victim at a Citgo gas station on Pennsylvania Avenue SE—this time taking both a Dodge Challenger and continuing use of previously stolen cars.
Israel was arrested on August 30, 2022, remaining in custody since then. Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentence.
Pirro said she thanked those who worked on this case from the Metropolitan Police Department as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Lee and Ella Gladman for prosecuting it.
