Essex County Felon Admits Armed Carjacking With Assault Rifle

NEWARK, N.J. — An Essex County convicted felon admitted in federal court on June 2, 2026 that he used an assault rifle to commit an armed carjacking and that he separately possessed two firearms and controlled substances with intent to distribute them.

The defendant, whose name appears in the charging documents as the sole individual facing the counts, entered the guilty plea before a U.S. District Judge in the District of New Jersey. The plea covers one count of carjacking with a dangerous weapon, two counts of felon-in-possession of a firearm, and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Under the prior legal status the defendant faced only the original indictment; the new state is a binding admission of every element of the offenses. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled but the carjacking statute carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment.

The firearms counts each expose the defendant to additional consecutive sentencing enhancements because of his prior felony conviction.

The plea requires the defendant to forfeit the assault rifle and any other seized firearms. It also obligates him to cooperate with the government’s ongoing investigation into related narcotics and firearms trafficking in Essex County. Federal probation will prepare a presentence report that must be completed before the judge can impose final punishment, a process that typically takes 60 to 90 days.

This case forms part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey regular enforcement docket targeting armed career criminals and drug distributors who operate in the Newark-Essex corridor. The June 2 plea follows standard prosecutorial practice in which defendants facing overwhelming evidence resolve cases before trial, freeing investigative resources for additional pending matters involving illegal firearms.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice