Keith Michael Costa, Carjacking, Nevada 2014

A chilling crime has shaken the streets of Las Vegas. Keith Michael Costa, a 35-year-old Las Vegas resident, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release for a violent carjacking that left a victim battered and bruised.

Costa, who had a history of violence, pleaded guilty on March 20, 2014, to one count of carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. His sentencing came on May 27, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey.

The crime unfolded on July 2, 2013, when Costa approached a female tenant at an apartment complex on West Charleston Boulevard. Costa demanded her car keys, but when she refused, he pushed her to the ground and shocked her with a taser at least seven or eight times. Despite the victim’s pleas, Costa continued to attack her, even as she sought refuge in the office building.

The victim, an exchange student from Thailand, was eventually forced to hand over her car keys. Costa then fled in the victim’s 2009 Audi A4 sedan. The victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Costa’s violent outburst was only the beginning of a series of shocking events that would follow. Two days after the carjacking, Costa was stopped by a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer for driving a black BMW sedan with paper plates.

Costa, who was driving recklessly, argued with the officer and fled in the BMW, leading the patrol officer and a backup unit on a high-speed car chase through surface streets and on U.S. 95. During the pursuit, Costa drove erratically, nearly striking a female pedestrian who was pushing a baby stroller. Costa was eventually able to evade the police, but his freedom was short-lived. Two days later, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers located Costa at a motel on E. Tropicana and arrested him.

During the arrest, Costa physically resisted the officers and reached for a stolen 9-millimeter handgun in his pant waistband. Costa, who had been convicted of a federal felony offense in 2002, was prohibited from possessing the firearm. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, as part of the Safe Streets Task Force and Project Safe Neighborhoods program. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip N. Smith, Jr. prosecuted the case.

U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden praised the work of law enforcement agencies in bringing the case to justice. ‘When possible, we will use federal laws to prosecute recidivist offenders who are committing violent crimes in our Nevada communities,’ Bogden said. ‘We work with our local police departments to regularly review violent crimes that occur in Nevada to determine whether they should be prosecuted federally.’

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