⏱ 2 min read
On March 26, 2025, Orlin Lemus-Cruz and his co-conspirators, Jason Benitez-Umanzor and Julio Villafranco, approached two victims watching a soccer game at the Bell Athletic Field in Northwest D.C. and robbed them at gunpoint. The victims were pistol-whipped and had a coat and a moped stolen. Lemus-Cruz was arrested on April 5, 2025, and has been in custody since.
Lemus-Cruz was found guilty of one count of armed carjacking, two counts of armed robbery, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. His co-conspirators, Jason Benitez-Umanzor and Julio Villafranco, previously pleaded guilty to armed robbery on November 19, 2025.
The armed robbery conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years imprisonment, while the armed carjacking conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment. Lemus-Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30, 2026.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nickolas Reck and Michael Dal Lago. Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department announced the guilty verdict alongside U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: D.C.
- Location: DC
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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