Leevah Mills, a 25-year-old Philadelphia resident, has been sentenced to 135 months in prison for his involvement in a violent armed carjacking. United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond also ordered Mills to serve five years of supervised release and pay $42,909 in restitution.
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 counts in February.
According to court documents and Mills’ own admission, the incident occurred early on July 11, 2023. Mills and two accomplices confronted 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 located the stolen vehicle shortly after the carjacking. As officers pursued the suspects, they crashed into another vehicle and then struck a pole on Castor Avenue. The stolen car caught fire and was destroyed. Police apprehended all three suspects at the scene.
Mills’ co-defendants, Emmanuel Sia and Kysime Brown, have also pleaded guilty 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 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 was conducted by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski prosecuted the case.
