Hyattsville Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Role in an Armed Carjacking Conspiracy Spanning Multiple Jurisdictions

WASHINGTON - Christian Rodriguez, 21, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in federal prison for his role in a spree of armed carjackings, vehicle thefts, and thefts from vehicles committed across the metropolitan region between December 2023 and August 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty on April 16, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and aiding and abetting. In addition to the 84-month prison term, Judge Contreras ordered Rodriguez to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Rodriguez was an active participant in a brazen carjacking conspiracy responsible for a series of violent and coordinated vehicle-related offenses. On January 24, 2024, Rodriguez and his co-conspirators carried out a targeted armed carjacking in Northwest Washington during which two masked, armed assailants approached a Dodge Challenger, punched the victim, and held him at gunpoint with a firearm equipped with a green laser sight before fleeing with the vehicle and the victim's belongings.

Two days later, on January 26, 2024, Rodriguez and other co-conspirators attempted to conceal evidence after the arrest of another participant. Rodriguez directed a co-conspirator via text message to remove incriminating items from a residence, leading to law enforcement observing the transfer of a trash bag containing evidence linked to the conspiracy.

The criminal spree continued into August 2024. On August 6, Rodriguez helped steal a 2021 Infiniti Q50 in Silver Spring, Maryland, which contained the victim's identity documents and bank cards. The items were later recovered from Rodriguez's residence. The following day, Rodriguez participated in two more vehicle break-ins, including the theft of a Corvette in Alexandria, Virginia, using an electronic device designed to bypass vehicle security.

During a court authorized search of Rodriguez's residence on Aug. 9, 2024, law enforcement recovered a stockpile of weapons, ammunition, firearm components, multiple loaded extended magazines, in addition to license plates, and stolen identification cards and bank cards belonging to victims of the August thefts. Investigators also found a firearm equipped with a "switch" that converted the semiautomatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon.

The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George's County Police Department, Baltimore County Police Department, Alexandria City Police Department, and the FBI Washington Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Caelainn Carney prosecuted the case.

Firearms recovered from Rodriguez's residence.

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