United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Kelly Stanton, a 55-year-old resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. The sentence also includes five years of supervised release and restitution amounting to $12,500. This decision was made by United States District Judge R. Barclay Surrick following Stanton’s guilty plea for carjacking a woman at gunpoint in January 2023.
Stanton was indicted in March 2023 and admitted guilt to the charges in October of the same year. According to court documents and Stanton’s own admission, the incident occurred around 11 p.m. on January 26, 2023. A woman parked her car on the 1600 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue in Philadelphia to pick up a pizza. Upon returning to her vehicle, she was confronted by Stanton who brandished a firearm and demanded her keys with the threat: “give me the f[***]ing keys or I’m going to shoot you.”
The victim struggled but eventually handed over her keys before fleeing from the scene. Stanton then drove off with her vehicle which remains unrecovered.
U.S. Attorney Metcalf commented on the case stating, “The victim in this case was just going about her night when Stanton ambushed and terrorized her, putting his gun to her head and threatening to shoot.” He emphasized that such violent acts pose a significant threat to community safety and reaffirmed his office’s commitment alongside partners from the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force to prosecute offenders.
Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Philadelphia Field Division added: “Kelly Stanton’s victim was picking up a pizza when he stuck a gun to her head and demanded her car keys — he’s now facing a dozen years in federal prison.” DeGree highlighted ATF’s efforts with task force partners using forensic tools against such crimes hoping it deters future violence.
The investigation involved both ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department with prosecution led by Special Assistant United States Attorney Meagan Gordon and Assistant United States Attorney Priya De Souza.
