A Washington, D.C., teen will serve less than four months in jail for a carjacking in the U.S. capital despite federal prosecutors urging a seven-year sentence.
Mark Edwards, 18, was sentenced Friday in Superior Court after pleading guilty to one count of carjacking for a May 28 incident. He and a 14-year-old accomplice stole a double-parked car after implying to the driver that they were armed, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said.
Edwards and the 14-year-old were later apprehended in Maryland following a police chase.
Judge Judith Pipe, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, sentenced Edwards to 84 months in prison, suspended except for time served, and one year of supervised probation. The court imposed the punishment under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, which allows sentences below mandatory minimums, despite the government’s objection.
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Prosecutors had sought a full seven-year prison term followed by three years of supervised release and the decision was blasted by Pirro.
“We sought seven years jail time, the top of the sentencing guidelines,” Pirro told Fox News Digital via a statement. “A DC judge refused and instead released a dangerous offender who now walks free. DC won’t be safe until judges finally start putting public safety first and we get rid of the Youth Rehabilitation Act.”
Edwards had been in custody since Aug. 6 and served roughly 108 days. He will not have to serve the remainder of the suspended sentence if he successfully completes probation, prosecutors said.
Edwards took a plea deal after he was also charged with an attempted carjacking days earlier. In that case, Edwards and another suspect approached a double-parked car, demanded the driver’s keys and stole his cellphone, prosecutors said. The driver managed to get back into his car and escape the scene, according to the Justice Department.
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Pirro and D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith commended the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers who investigated both incidents.
Teen carjackings have remained a concern in the nation’s capital, though overall numbers are falling.
There have been 238 carjackings so far this year, resulting in 135 arrests, according to MPD data.
More than half of those arrested, around 53%, were juveniles.
Carjackings are down about 49% year-to-date compared with the same period in 2024, according to the data.
