New Jersey Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Armed Carjacking
Newark, NJ – In a shocking display of brazen violence, Hanzah Darby, 26, of Newark, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 144 months in prison for his role in an armed carjacking that took place in Little Falls, New Jersey, on October 30, 2011.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Darby and co-conspirator Ivan Lee, 26, of Newark, approached a parked 2008 BMW 335 in Little Falls and ordered the occupants out of the vehicle at gunpoint. Darby and Lee, who brandished a shotgun, then took the car and fled the area.
Law enforcement officers recovered the car in Newark on November 7, 2011, with Darby standing next to it at the time. The incident was the result of a coordinated investigation involving the FBI, the Little Falls Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Darby previously pleaded guilty to one count of theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence, and intimidation and one count of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. In addition to his prison sentence, Darby was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release.
Credit for the investigation and sentencing goes to special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark; officers of the Little Falls Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Dmuchowski; the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Rick Fuentes; and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cari Fais and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark. Defense counsel for Darby is Timothy Donohue Esq., of West Orange, New Jersey.
Co-defendant Ivan Lee, who was charged with Darby in the indictment, previously pleaded guilty to one count of theft of a motor vehicle by force and was found guilty of the brandishing a firearm charge following a one-week trial. Lee was sentenced to 14 years in prison on February 11, 2015.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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