Krisanne Marie Benjamin, Violent Twin Cities Carjacking Spree, Minnesota 2020

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Violent Twin Cities Carjacking Spree Lands Minneapolis Woman in Prison

A Minneapolis woman, Krisanne Marie Benjamin, 25, was sentenced to 100 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $13,323.53 in restitution, for her role in a string of violent carjackings throughout the Twin Cities.

According to court documents, on August 28, 2020, Benjamin and her co-defendant Jeremiah Lee Ironrope drove a maroon SUV to a parking lot in Richfield, where they parked near a 2017 Audi. Ironrope approached the driver of the Audi and pointed a Remington 870 l2-gauge shotgun, with a sawed-off barrel, at the driver and demanded the car keys. Benjamin kept watch from the maroon SUV as Ironrope started the Audi and drove away. Benjamin followed in the maroon SUV.

On August 29, 2020, the Minnesota State Patrol used GPS data to track and locate the stolen Audi, which was driven by Ironrope and occupied by Benjamin. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Ironrope drove away at a high rate of speed, while cutting across multiple lanes of traffic, swerving between cars, and driving through red lights. During the flight from law enforcement, Benjamin got out of the vehicle and fled on foot while Ironrope continued fleeing in the Audi.

Benjamin pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting carjacking on September 7, 2021. Her co-defendant, Ironrope, pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence on September 9, 2021.

The FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, St. Paul Police Department, Maple Grove Police Department, Richfield Police Department, Edina Police Department, Roseville Police Department, and the Minnesota State Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan H. Nelson is prosecuting the case.

The case highlights the seriousness of carjacking crimes and the significant penalties facing those who commit them. The sentence sends a strong message of deterrence to those seeking to victimize their neighbors.