Department of Justice

BEAUMONT, Texas – A 34-year-old Beaumont, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for carjacking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.              

Thaddiaus Joseph Thomas pleaded guilty on August 12, 2020 to discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and carjacking and was sentenced to 198 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.

“Everyone deserves to live in a safe community, free from the threat of violent crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ganjei.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, along with our federal and local law enforcement partners, will do whatever it takes to stem the tide of violent gun crime on our streets.”

According to information presented in court, on Dec. 21, 2019, Thomas and Tremaurice Arthur Randall traveled to the Excellent Carwash located at 5010 Haden Road in Beaumont, Texas, wearing masks, where they approached a man who was sitting in the driver’s seat of his 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck. Thomas pointed a pistol at the man and Randall ordered him to “give it up” before the two pulled the man out of his truck and threw him to the ground. Thomas then pistol whipped the man in the head and fired one shot toward his feet.  Randall and Thomas then entered the pickup truck and fled.  Thomas and Randall were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 4, 2020 and charged with conspiracy to commit carjacking, carjacking, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Randall, 24, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty on August 4, 2020 to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and carjacking and was sentenced on Dec. 2, 2020 to 114 months in federal prison. 

This case is a part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.

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