Federal Charges In Violent Carjacking

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Two men face federal charges after a violent carjacking in Mount Vernon. Chester Brown and Travis Sinclair were carrying guns when they jumped in a car in the city July 27, federal officials said.

They threatened and punched the driver, prosecutors said. Brown is alleged to have hit the driver with his gun, which discharged. When the driver ran from his vehicle, at least one of the two fired gun shots toward him. These shots injured a person sitting in another car.

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Division of the FBI, and Shawn Harris, Commissioner of the Mount Vernon Police Department announced the unsealing of the complaint charging the two with allegedly engaging in carjacking and, in furtherance of the carjacking, possessing, brandishing, and discharging firearms.

They were presented in White Plains federal court Wednesday before United States Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison and ordered detained. Brown was taken into federal custody on August 15; Sinclair was previously in federal custody based on prior pending criminal charges.

They each face a maximum term of life in prison, and a mandatory term of 10 years in prison.

The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by the judge.

Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Mount Vernon Police Department and the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force.

These cases are being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie Bagliebter and Samuel L. Raymond are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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