Two D.C. men have admitted to the and assault of a victim from a Maryland hotel and casino in February last year.
Anthony Erik Hebron, age 23, and Darius Lawrence Young, age 29, pleaded guilty this week on kidnapping charges for collaborating with three others to lure a victim out of their hotel room at an undisclosed Maryland casino on Feb. 3, 2021. Darius also pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon.
Two other co-defendants in the same case — Christopher Young and Lamar Perkins — pleaded guilty for conspiracy to kidnapping earlier this year, and are scheduled for sentencing in May.
Hebron and another unnamed conspirator, whom prosecutors refer to as Co-conspirator 1, drove their victim to Southeast D.C. around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3, under “the false promise that they would get women,” a Justice Department news release said.
About an hour later, Christopher contacted Darius and reported that Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 had “snatched” the victim and were on their way into the District. When they arrived, Darius and Christopher entered the car, where prosecutors say Hebron pointed a gun at the victim.
Four of the co-defendants then stole the victim’s wallet, phone, hotel room key and watch, forcing the victim to disclose the code to their hotel safe by striking them in the head with a gun.
Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 traveled back to the hotel to burglarize the victim’s hotel room, while Darius and Christopher led the victim at gunpoint into a Southeast D.C. apartment building’s boiler room. Perkins was instructed to watch for police or passersby, while Darius and Christopher beat and injured the victim, demanding to know their bank account PIN and the location of several items in their hotel room.
According to their plea agreements, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 gained entry to the victim’s hotel room and stole property including a gaming console, $1,500 in casino chips and an estimated $6,000 cash.
Law enforcement later witnessed Darius and Christopher leaving the building and found the victim with several injuries, including a broken nose and cuts around the mouth and eyes.
If the court accepts Darius’ plea agreement, he would be sentenced to between 12 and 13 1/2 years in prison, while Hebron faces 14 years. Their sentencing hearings are set for June 27 and Aug. 8, respectively.
