Five D.C. and Maryland Men Facing Federal Indictment for Conspiracy to Kidnap at Gunpoint a Victim They Met at a Maryland Casino

 Allegedly Kidnapped and Robbed a Man They Met at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Stealing Thousands of Dollars, Narcotics, and Other Property

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment late yesterday charging five men with conspiring to commit a kidnapping, in connection with an incident on February 3, 2021.  The defendants charged in the indictment are:

Darius Lawrence Young, a/k/a “Mup,” age 28, of Washington, D.C.;
Christopher Allen Young, a/k/a “40,” age 26, of Washington, D.C.;
Anthony Erik Hebron, a/k/a “Pain,” age 28, of Washington, D.C.;
Tray David Sherman, a/k/a “Racks,” and “Fat Det,” age 26, of Germantown, MD; and
Lamar Jamal Perkins, a/k/a “Lou,” age 27, of Washington, D.C.

Christopher Young and Tray Sherman were arrested on March 31, 2021 on a criminal complaint filed on March 30, 2021 for the same charge.  Darius Young was already in custody on a related charge. Hebron and Perkins are fugitives.

The federal charges were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to the indictment and the affidavit filed in support of the previous criminal complaint, on February 3, 2021, the five defendants conspired to kidnap at gunpoint an individual they had met at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in National Harbor, Maryland.  As detailed in the affidavit, Sherman and Hebron were seen on surveillance footage leaving the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in National Harbor, Maryland, with the victim.  The three men then allegedly drove to Washington, D.C. in Sherman’s vehicle and the victim can be seen in surveillance footage getting out of the car and meeting with an unknown male.  The victim and the man appear to give each other something and the victim then gets back in Sherman’s car and they drive away from the area.

A short time later, Hebron allegedly called C. Young.  A minute after that, C. Young called D. Young and allegedly told him about an opportunity to participate in the kidnapping and robbery of a victim who had already been picked up by Hebron and Sherman.  Perkins allegedly served as a lookout for the Youngs, while they held the victim at a location near the 600 block of 46^th Place SE in Washington, D.C.  In the meantime, Hebron and Sherman allegedly returned to the MGM Grand and were observed on surveillance footage appearing to enter the victim’s hotel room.  As detailed in the affidavit, Sherman, wearing a backpack, and Hebron, pulling a roller suitcase behind him, appeared to exit from the victim’s hotel room and walk down the hotel hallway.  When Sherman and Hebron were observed in the same hallway prior to entering the hotel room, they did not have a backpack or roller suitcase in their possession.

According to the affidavit, once the robbery was completed, officers saw C. Young and D. Young exiting the tree line directly behind the location where the victim was allegedly held and returning to their vehicle.  Law enforcement also located the victim in the 500 block of 46^th Place SE, with blood running down the front of his face from the top of his head, a cut on his mouth and eye, and a broken and swollen nose.  

Court documents allege that the victim was kidnapped at gunpoint, then beaten and threatened to obtain information regarding the code to the safe in his hotel room.  During the abduction, the defendants allegedly stole the victim’s hotel key, watch, wallet, identification, phone, and cocaine that the victim had purchased during the stop in Washington, D.C.  In addition, the robbers allegedly took approximately $6,000 in cash, approximately $1,500 to $2,500 in poker chips, marijuana, an Xbox, a backpack, and a suitcase from the victim’s hotel room.  The kidnappers also allegedly pointed a gun at the victim, placed a gun in the victim’s mouth, hit the victim in the face and head with a gun, and threatened to kill the victim’s family members if the victim contacted law enforcement. 

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison for conspiracy to commit kidnapping.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  At t initial appearances yesterday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gina L. Simms ordered that Christopher Young and Sherman be detained pending detention hearings, which are scheduled for April 2, 2021.  Darius Young is detained on a related charge and will have his initial appearance at a later date.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI Washington and Baltimore Field Offices for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leah B. Grossi and Jeffrey J. Izant, who are prosecuting the case.