A Houston man is facing federal charges after being accused of a series of violent carjackings, one of which left a victim with gunshot wounds. Jose Antonio Infante, 22, made his first appearance in a federal court regarding the charges, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei revealed. According to a press release, the indictment against Infante includes one count of carjacking resulting in serious injury and another count of carjacking involving a firearm.
Infante, who was already in custody for related charges, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett. The indictment claims that Infante, on June 8, carried out his first carjacking using a firearm and followed up with another violent episode a week later. Expected to face several years in prison, during the second crime, the victim was shot which the federal charges allege.
The incident that involved the shooting has left Infante facing up to 25 years in prison, showing a significant increase from the up to 15 years for the first carjacking incident. On top of these penalties, Infante is also charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, a crime that could add a maximum of 15 more years to his sentence. Furthermore, the convictions could stack an additional 17 years from firearms-related charges.
In addition to potential prison time, the Houston man faces several substantial fines, with each count carrying a maximum penalty of up to $250,000. The investigation, led by the FBI with support from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, has culminated in these charges against Infante. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin R. Martin is prosecuting the case, with details of the indictment previously disclosed.
