A Prince George’s County man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for carjacking and firearms offenses. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby handed down the sentence to Sean Franklin Mills, Jr., 21, of Capital Heights, Maryland.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; and Chief George Nader of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
According to court documents, Mills pleaded guilty to a series of armed carjackings that took place between November 27 and December 19, 2022. During this period, Mills and an accomplice targeted six victims at gunpoint in various locations across Prince George’s County.
On November 27, Mills and his co-conspirator approached their first victim in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Dressed in black clothing and ski masks, they pointed handguns at the victim before demanding his keys after a chase. The two then fled with the victim’s Mitsubishi Outlander.
The following week on December 4, Mills used a black handgun to threaten another victim at a Capitol Heights gas station. After demanding the keys to a Honda Accord while wearing a ski mask and dark clothing, he fled with the vehicle.
Two days later on December 6, Mills and his accomplice arrived at a Hyattsville gas station in what appeared to be the previously stolen Accord. They confronted another individual sitting in a Toyota Camry. Mills pointed a handgun at this third victim and drove off with the Camry while his accomplice followed.
On December 8 in Temple Hills, Maryland, another carjacking occurred when Mills threatened a fourth victim with a black and silver handgun featuring an extended magazine. Wearing sunglasses and other dark attire, he took both the car and cell phone from the victim before fleeing.
December 19 saw two additional incidents: one involving a DoorDash delivery driver in Landover whose Toyota Corolla was taken after being threatened at gunpoint; another involved taking a Toyota Highlander from its owner parked in Hyattsville under similar circumstances.
Law enforcement began tracking Mills using GPS data on December 20. Officers soon located one of the stolen vehicles near his residence. On December 21, police surveillance led them to New Carrollton where they stopped Mills and his co-conspirator driving yet another stolen vehicle. Two loaded handguns were recovered during their arrest.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” said officials involved with the case. “On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI and PGPD for their work investigating this case. She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn Williams for prosecuting it.
More information about programs aimed at reducing violent crime is available through local initiatives such as Project Safe Neighborhoods (https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods) as well as resources offered by community outreach efforts (https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach).
For further details about priorities or assistance provided by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/.
