Leevah Mills, a 25-year-old Philadelphia resident, was sentenced to 135 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $42,909 in restitution for his involvement in a violent armed carjacking. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond.
Mills was indicted in August 2023 on charges of carjacking and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He pleaded guilty to both charges in February.
According to court records and Mills’ own admission, the incident occurred on July 11, 2023. Mills and two accomplices approached a 26-year-old man as he parked near his home in Northeast Philadelphia. The group pointed semiautomatic pistols at the victim at close range before pistol-whipping him, stealing his cell phone, and taking his Dodge Charger.
Philadelphia police soon located the stolen vehicle and pursued it. During the attempt to flee law enforcement, Mills and his codefendants crashed into another vehicle and then into a pole on Castor Avenue. The stolen car caught fire and was destroyed. All three suspects were apprehended at the scene.
The co-defendants, Emmanuel Sia and Kysime Brown, have also pleaded guilty to their charges and are scheduled for sentencing in October.
“This roving crew of criminals ambushed and assaulted an innocent victim just trying to park his car and get home,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “My office and our partners on the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force will continue to target violent individuals like Leevah Mills, to improve public safety and the quality of life in our city.”
“Armed carjackings are brazen crimes that leave victims with lasting trauma and communities living in fear,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office. “Today’s sentencing is a measure of justice, but more importantly, it is a promise to our community that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will not relent in protecting innocent people from senseless violence.”
The investigation involved both the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski prosecuted the case.
