Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in a Violent Racketeering Conspiracy, Including a Murder
Members of the Conspiracy Committed Seven Carjackings, Six Armed Robberies and Two Attempted Armed Robberies in a Three-Month Period
BALTIMORE — Daniel Williams, age 33, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, including murder, carjacking and armed robbery, just before the start of his trial in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, from at least April 2019 to the present, Williams and at least five other people agreed to participate in a criminal enterprise which committed a series of armed commercial robberies, armed robberies, attempted armed robberies and carjackings, some of which resulted in the murder or non-fatal shooting of the victims. Williams and the co-conspirators used at least three different firearms to commit the crimes and shared the proceeds of their exploits, which they promoted on social media.
As detailed in the plea agreement, between June 9, 2019 and Aug. 12, 2019, the conspirators committed seven carjackings, six armed robberies and two attempted armed robberies. During a carjacking on June 12, 2019, a victim was shot and killed; a victim was shot during an attempted armed robbery on July 24, 2019; and a victim sustained life threatening injuries after the victim was shot during a robbery on Aug. 8, 2019.
Williams admitted that he personally participated in an armed carjacking on June 9, 2019, the armed robberies of three businesses in Baltimore and on June 28, 2019, the attempted armed robbery of a victim in the 22800 block of Forest Glen Road during which the victim was shot to death.
Williams and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Williams will be sentenced to 16 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for June 6, 2024.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-….
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Clinton J. Fuchs, who prosecuted the case.
###
