SE Texas Times

A New Orleans man has been sentenced to over 12 years in federal prison for a 2022 violent carjacking in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.

Aubrey Young, 37, pleaded guilty to carjacking and was sentenced to 150 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on July 1, 2024.

According to information presented in court, on October 26, 2022, Young approached two people in Vidor asking if they had any work for him. When they said they did not, Young pulled a firearm from his backpack and demanded the keys from the victims. Young then fled in their vehicle. The car was spotted near Anahuac and a high-speed chase ensued. Young was arrested and a firearm was located in the stolen vehicle.

On April 18, 2024, U.S. Attorney Diggs announced the newly formed Carjacking Task Force in the Eastern District of Texas. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will work alongside state and local law enforcement partners to more effectively address the threat of carjackings in Southeast Texas.

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 make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Vidor Police Department, the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.

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