BALTIMORE, MD—Two Baltimore County men were sentenced to federal prison on Monday, September 9, 2024, for their involvement in three armed carjackings, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Maryland announced.

Franklin Jay Smith, 34, of Catonsville, received 9 years in prison for carjacking and 60 months consecutive for use of a firearm during a crime. Davon Tramont Dorsey, 30, of Gwynn Oak received 15 years and 3 months in prison.

The sentencing took place in Baltimore.

According to Smith’s and Dorsey’s guilty pleas and evidence introduced at the trial of two codefendants earlier this year, between May and August 2021, the conspirators planned and organized the kidnapping of three victims, J.H. and two employees of check cashing businesses, victims A.T. and A.K. The conspirators carjacked and abducted the victims and used force and threats of force to steal cash. Posing as police officers, using police vests, badges, and a law enforcement-type light bar, the conspirators stopped the victims and/or their vehicles, and brandished firearms and a blow torch during the kidnappings. The three incidents occurred on May 5, 2021, May 15, 2021, and August 2, 2021. Smith admitted that he participated in the two incidents in May, and Dorsey admitted that he participated in the May 15, 2021, incident and the August 2, 2021, incident.

As detailed in Smith’s plea agreement and evidence introduced at the trial of two codefendants earlier this year, on May 5, 2021, two of the conspirators followed victim A.T. from the check cashing business where she worked, driving a Ford Fusion supplied by Smith. Smith set up a detour along the route to cause A.T. to turn down a side street where the two conspirators driving the Ford Fusion posed as police and used a law enforcement-type light bar to pull over A.T.’s vehicle. Wearing police vests and badges, the conspirators brandished firearms to remove A.T. from her vehicle, handcuffed her, placed her into the rear of one of their vehicles, blindfolded her, and stole her vehicle. While driving with victim A.T., the conspirators burned victim A.T. with the blow torch in an attempt to get information from A.T. in order to access the check cashing business where she worked, with the intent to remove all the cash from the business. Smith and the other conspirators later placed A.T. back in the rear of her vehicle, still bound, covered the vehicle with a tarp, and left A.T. to make her way out and call for help.

Smith and Dorsey both admitted that on May 15, 2021, while 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 J.H. 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.

At the time J.H. was abducted, Smith was in the White Marsh area of Baltimore County, within minutes of an onramp to Interstate 95, awaiting a call from a conspirator notifying him that J.H. had been abducted. As the Ford Fusion traveled south on Interstate 95, Smith received a call from a coconspirator, and then drove in a separate vehicle and met up with the Ford Fusion, J.H. and other conspirators in Baltimore City. While in the Ford Fusion, one of the conspirators questioned J.H. about money, and used a blow torch to burn his chest when he 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.

Dorsey also 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 Dorsey’s guilty plea, 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 aways, the men instructed A.K. not to remove her face covering until they had driven away.

In June, a federal jury convicted two codefendants of their roles in the abductions. Dennis Allen Hairston, 34, of Windsor Mill, and Donte Davon Stanley, 33, of Rosedale, were convicted on federal charges of kidnapping and robbery conspiracies; kidnapping; carjacking; robbery affecting commerce. Hairston was also convicted of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson has scheduled sentencing for Stanley for November 4, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. and Hairston for November 7, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.

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