Man Who Carjacked Delivery Driver is Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

WASHINGTON - Dennis Vanison, 31, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, was sentenced today, to 84 months in prison for his participation in the May 2023 carjacking of a delivery driver, and carrying a pistol without a license, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Anthony A. Spotswood, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Vanison pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of carrying a pistol without a license, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, on August 13, 2024. Judge Robert A. Salerno also sentenced Vanison to three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.

According to the government's evidence, Vanison and an unidentified accomplice carjacked a food delivery driver on May 2, 2023. The victim had just dropped off a delivery in the 2400 block of Wagner Street Southeast when Vanison's accomplice stole items from the victim's car. When the victim went to retrieve his belongings, Vanison and his accomplice attacked the victim and attempted to take his phone. During the attack, the accomplice produced a gun and pointed it at the victim, and at Vanison's direction, snatched the victim's keys from his pocket. Vanison and his accomplice then fled the scene, driving away in their car and the victim's car, respectively.

The next morning, members of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department encountered Vanison inside an SUV several feet from the victim's car, which was parked and idling in an alley. Vanison's cellphone and keychain were found inside the victim's car, and a fully loaded pistol was found at Vanison's feet inside the SUV. Vanison was apprehended on May 3, 2023, and has been in custody ever since.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Spotswood, and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney's Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Omeed A. Assefi; Investigative Analyst Stephen Jones; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Renee Prather; and Paralegal Specialist Marcella Trader. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Parron and Daniel Bromwich, who investigated and prosecuted the case.