Federal Indictment Charges Carjacking, Robbery and Firearm Offenses

 CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a Chicago man on carjacking and firearm charges for allegedly violently taking vehicles in Chicago and Cicero and attempting to steal another in Oak Park.

JAHEIM HENYARD, 19, stole a Dodge Charger from an Uber Eats driver in Chicago on Aug. 14, 2020, and a Kia Optima Hybrid LX from a victim in Cicero on Aug. 20, 2020, according to a seven-count indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Henyard also attempted to steal a Mercedes GLC 300 by brandishing a firearm at a victim in Oak Park on July 17, 2020, but was unsuccessful, the indictment states.

The indictment also accuses Henyard and two others – DARIUS YOUNG and XAVIER TATE – of participating in the robbery of a UPS truck in Oak Park on Aug. 21, 2020.  During the robbery, the UPS driver was ordered to lay face down in the street while the offenders removed boxes from the truck and drove off, according to a criminal complaint previously filed in the case.

The indictment charges Henyard with two counts of carjacking, two counts of robbery, one count of attempted carjacking, and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  Young, 25, of Berwyn, and Tate, 23, of Chicago, are charged with robbery.  Tate also faces a firearm count for allegedly illegally possessing a semiautomatic handgun in Chicago on the same day as the UPS heist.  Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The Chicago Police Department, Oak Park Police Department, and Cicero Police Department participated in the investigation.  The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles W. Mulaney, Timothy Storino, and Albert Berry III.

“Our message to would-be carjackers is simple: Committing a senseless act of violence like carjacking will earn you a home in federal prison for a long time,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Our office is working closely with our law enforcement partners to pursue, prosecute, and detain violent carjackers and gun offenders in Chicago and surrounding area.”

“Carjackers have long terrorized our local communities with acts of violence, but through the combined efforts of our police, federal, and prosecutorial partners we are bringing perpetrators to justice,” said FBI SAC Buie.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The carjacking and attempted carjacking counts are each punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  The charge against Henyard for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a minimum prison term of seven years and a maximum term of life, which must be served consecutive to the sentence imposed for the underlying carjacking offense.  The maximum sentence for robbery is 20 years.  The firearm charge against Tate is punishable by up to ten years.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.