A Washington, D.C. man has been sentenced in connection with a series of carjackings he committed in Silver Spring and Hyattsville, officials announced Friday.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced 20-year-old James Albert Borum to 11 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with a series of carjackings he committed in 2021.
According to a press release, Borum pleaded guilty last August to the following carjackings, all of which were committed in June of 2021:
On June 4, 2021, Victim A was beaten and carjacked by Borum and an accomplice, who also stole the victim’s cell phone. Victim A’s wallet, which contained several items, including a bank card, was inside the vehicle at the time of the carjacking. Law enforcement recovered Victim A’s bank card and a social security card in the name of Victim A’s spouse from Borum’s bedroom during a search on July 1, 2021.
On June 10, 2021, Borum and his accomplice committed another carjacking in Silver Spring. After Victim B had parked his car, he began walking into a nearby apartment courtyard. Borum and his accomplice followed Victim B and approached Victim B in the courtyard. Borum and the accomplice pointed a handgun at Victim B’s forehead and stated, “I’ll kill you. Give me the keys.” Victim B gave Borum and the accomplice his keys, and the carjackers drove away in Victim B’s car. A GPS device in Victim B’s vehicle placed it near Borum’s home most of the time when the vehicle was not in use following the carjacking.
On June 18, 2021, Borum and an accomplice attempted to carjack Victim C in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Cameron St. in downtown Silver Spring. Borum and his accomplice demanded Victim C’s keys, but she refused to give them up. Borum and the accomplice grabbed for Victim C’s purse and a struggle ensued. Neither Borum nor his accomplice were able to obtain Victim C’s keys, and both men fled as another vehicle pulled into the parking garage.
According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for Maryland, surveillance footage obtained from Rhode Island Avenue, Silver Spring, and Wheaton Metro stations prior to and after the attempted carjacking revealed Borum and his accomplice wearing clothing that matches the clothing that was worn by the carjackers. Additionally, Borum is seen wearing an ankle monitor as well as a distinctive white sweatshirt, which was recovered from Borum’s residence.
On June 18, 2021, Borum and his accomplice carjacked Victim D, who was sitting in his car in the parking lot in the 3500 block of East West Highway in Hyattsville. Victim D’s doors were unlocked and the windows were down. Borum and the accomplice opened the driver’s side door, pointed a gun at Victim D’s head, and told him to get out of the car. Borum and the accomplice pulled Victim D out of the vehicle, pushed him to the ground, then got into Victim D’s vehicle and drove away. Law enforcement tracked and recovered the vehicle later that evening in the 1200 block of Douglas St., NE in Washington, D.C. The key to Victim D’s car was found in Borum’s residence.
On June 23, 2021, Victim E was carjacked by Borum and an accomplice as he was entering his car in a parking garage in the 8700 block of Colesville Rd. in downtown Silver Spring. Borum and his accomplice approached Victim E from behind, held a black handgun at the left side of Victim E’s head, and repeated, “Give me the keys!” Victim E handed the carjackers his keys and wallet. Borum and the accomplice then fled in Victim E’s vehicle. Victim E’s vehicle was located by law enforcement five days later, parked on the same block as Borum’s residence. Borum’s fingerprints were identified on the car.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for Maryland.
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— US Attorney Maryland (@USAO_MD) January 13, 2023