Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Shawn Harris, Commissioner of the Mount Vernon Police Department (“MVPD”), announced today the unsealing of a complaint charging two defendants with allegedly engaging in carjacking and, in furtherance of the carjacking, possessing, brandishing, and discharging firearms. The defendants, CHESTER BROWN and TRAVIS SINCLAIR, were presented in White Plains federal court this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison and ordered detained. BROWN was taken into federal custody on August 15; SINCLAIR was previously in federal custody based on prior pending criminal charges.
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today in White Plains federal court[1]:
On or about July 27, 2018, BROWN and SINCLAIR, the defendants, entered a car in Mount Vernon carrying guns. The defendants threatened and punched the driver; BROWN hit the driver with his gun, which discharged. When the driver ran from his vehicle, at least one of the defendants fired gun shots toward him. These shots injured a person sitting in another car.
BROWN and SINCLAIR each face a maximum term of life in prison, and a mandatory term of 10 years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force and the Mount Vernon Police Department.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
