Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Baltimore, Maryland – Davonne Tramont Dorsey, age 30, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland pleaded guilty on March 1, 2024, to carjacking and to using, carrying and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. Dorsey also admitted that he and other conspirators kidnapped victims and attempted to rob them, using force and threats of force.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey.
According to his plea agreement, in May and August 2021, Dorsey and other conspirators planned to impersonate police officers to stop vehicles, carjack and abduct victims, and use force and threats of force to steal cash Dorsey and other conspirators posed as police officers, using police vests, badges, and a law enforcement-type light bar, to stop the victims and their vehicles, and brandished firearms and a blow torch during the kidnappings.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on May 15, 2021, driving a Ford Fusion with police-style lights, Dorsey and other members of the conspiracy drove to Edgewood, Maryland to abduct and rob J.H. Dorsey and the others were wearing police-style vests with “police” written on them, masks, and gloves. Around midnight on May 15-16, 2021, J.H. left Edgewood, driving a 2022 Toyota Camry. The members of the conspiracy used the police-style lights to stop J.H’s vehicle. Dorsey and the conspirators, armed with firearms, approached J.H.’s car and identified themselves as police. The conspirators told J.H. that he had an outstanding warrant, and that he was under arrest. The conspirators put J.H. in handcuffs, put duct tape over his eyes and mouth, bound his feet, and put him in the back of their vehicle. J.H. was then driven away in the Ford Fusion with two of the conspirators while two other members of the conspiracy followed in J.H.’s Camry. While JH was in the Ford Fusion, the conspirators demanded $10,000, told J.H. that they knew where he lived and that they would kill his parents if he did not cooperate. One of the conspirators used a blow torch to burn J.H.’s chest multiple times when J.H. did not answer questions. The conspirators took J.H.’s necklace, wallet, phone, and car keys. After more than 5 hours of driving and demanding money, the conspirators released J.H. in Baltimore City at approximately 5:20 a.m.
Further, Dorsey admitted that on August 2, 2021, he and two co-conspirators approached victim A.K. as she left the check cashing business where she worked. The conspirators, wearing police vests and badges, brandished firearms to kidnap victim A.K. and placed her into the rear of one of their vehicles equipped with law enforcement-type lights. The driver was holding a blowtorch with a blue fuel canister, and A.K. observed a bottle of bleach on the floor in the back of the car. After A.K. entered the vehicle, the men bound A.K.’s wrists behind her back with zip-ties and used black duct tape to affix a blindfold over her eyes. One of the men stated to A.K., “We don’t burn sisters.”
According to the plea agreement, while in the vehicle, the men took A.K.’s wallet, phone, and keys, which included the keys to the check cashing business. The men demanded that A.K. provide access to the check cashing business, including demanding the A.K. provide the men with access codes, safe codes, and the amount of money in the safe at the business. The men demanded information from A.K. for nearly 6 hours, then released A.K. in Edmonson Village in Baltimore City at approximately 1:00 a.m. Before they drove away, the men instructed A.K. not to remove her face covering until they had driven away.
Dorsey and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the guilty plea, a sentence of 15 years in federal prison is the appropriate disposition of the case. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox has scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.
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. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Spencer Todd, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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