Curtis Pugh, Violent Carjacking, Alabama 2015

Mobile, AL – Curtis Pugh, a 38-year-old man from Mobile, Alabama, has been sentenced to 11 years and 9 months in federal prison for his role in a violent carjacking incident that occurred in September 2015.

Pugh, along with two codefendants, carried out the carjacking at the Forest Hill Apartments in Mobile on September 27, 2015. The victim was approached by one of the codefendants, who was armed with a semi-automatic handgun, and forced into the passenger side of his maroon Chevy Tahoe.

The gunman then drove off with the victim, while Pugh and the other codefendant followed in a Mazda sedan. The victim was eventually forced out of the Tahoe and placed in the trunk of the Mazda, where he was driven to an abandoned house.

There, Pugh and his codefendants demanded a $50,000 ransom from the victim’s wife, who was contacted by phone. The victim was eventually released, but not before being held captive for several hours.

Pugh pleaded guilty to the charges of carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in October 2016. He was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge William H. Steele, who also ordered Pugh to serve five years of supervised release after his imprisonment.

Carjacking is a federal crime that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a minimum sentence of 7 years to life, to be served consecutively to any sentence on the related carjacking charge.

The case was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Baugh, with the assistance of Special Agent David Kowalski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mobile Field Office and the Mobile Police Department.

Pugh’s sentence is a reminder of the serious consequences of violent crime and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.

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