Rashaad Thomas, Home Invasion and Carjacking, Maryland 2024

A 32-year-old Baltimore man has been sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison for a brazen home invasion and carjacking that left a family shaken. Rashaad Thomas, of Baltimore, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander after pleading guilty to the charges. The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner and other law enforcement officials.

The crime occurred on October 21, 2017, when Thomas forcibly entered a Baltimore City residence and brandished a weapon that resembled a firearm. He demanded money and the keys to the victims’ vehicle, which he then stole. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in the 3600 block of Dudley Avenue in Baltimore City.

Thanks to the diligent work of the FBI and Baltimore Police Department, Thomas was caught and charged. Cellular telephone data placed Thomas’s cell phone near the location of the residence at the time of the crime, and a BB gun that resembled the weapon described in the home invasion and carjacking was recovered from him.

Thomas is also suspected in at least 17 violent crimes, including robberies, home invasions, and carjackings that occurred between July and October 2017. In many instances, victims reported an assailant of Thomas’s description pointing a silver automatic handgun or black handgun to carry out various violent crimes.

Lenzner praised the FBI and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation, saying, ‘Their tireless efforts brought a violent offender to justice and made our community safer.’

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that aims to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr. prosecuted the case, and Lenzner thanked him for his hard work.

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