Two young men from Washington D.C. have been sentenced for two carjackings that took place within days of each other. Erick Alvarenga, 19, received a total of 14 years in prison, while his co-defendant, Malik Kearney, 20, will be sentenced in the coming weeks. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced that both pled guilty on June 23, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Alvarenga pled guilty to unarmed carjacking and firearm possession for incidents on December 2024, and January 2025. Judge Andrea Hertzfeld sentenced him to 84 months for each carjacking charge and 60 months for each firearm count, with the carjacking sentences running consecutively and the firearm sentences running concurrently. On December 28, 2024, Alvarenga and Kearney took a Jeep SUV on Eastern Avenue at around 4:45 a.m. On January 3, they used the stolen Jeep to block a Dodge at a gas station on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, and Kearney, armed with a handgun, took control of the Dodge, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Alvarenga and Kearney were arrested the same evening as a second carjacking, with police recovering two firearms—a ghost gun and another with its serial number removed. Kearney is scheduled to appear in court on October 10. U.S. Attorney Pirro, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randle Wilson and Amanda Hoover were involved in the investigation and prosecution, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
