An undercover officer, who previously testified in a carjacking case, was called in to be cross-examined by defense counsels before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on Nov. 17.
Irshaad Ellis-Bey, 20, Isaiah Flowers, 20, Taj Giles, 20, Bryon Gillum, 20, Jahkai Goff, 21, Jaelen Jordan, 20, and Warren Montgomery, 20, are charged with conspiracy, trafficking stolen property, two counts of armed carjacking, two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of robbery while armed. These charges stem from the group’s alleged involvement in a series of armed carjackings and the subsequent distribution of the stolen vehicles between February and May of 2023.
One of the carjackings occurred on Feb. 27, 2023 at the intersection of 20th Street and Sunderland Place, NW. Another carjacking took place at the intersection of K and 8th Street, NE, on April 27, 2023.
Additionally, Ellis-Bey, Flowers, Giles, Gillum, Goff, and Jordan are charged with two additional counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, armed carjacking of a senior citizen, receiving stolen property of $1000 or more, and robbery of a senior citizen while armed. These charges stem from their alleged involvement in a carjacking that occurred on the 600 block of Butternut Street, NW, on May 16, 2023.
Judge Kravitz asked defense counsels whether they planned to raise an argument of entrapment when cross-examining an undercover officer called to testify. Meaning the officer tricked or pressured any of them to commit a crime they otherwise would not have committed.
Brian McDaniel, the attorney for Jordan, was the focus of this question as his client allegedly sold a stolen vehicle to the undercover officer. The prosecution stated that if he tried to argue that Jordan had been entrapped, they would be forced to rebut it by filing a motion containing evidence of other offenses committed by Jordan.
McDaniel stated he did not believe the foundation for entrapment was sufficient, and would simply be questioning the witness about inconsistencies in his testimony.
The witness reiterated under cross-examination that he purchased a BMW and a Toyota from Jordan using pre-recorded funds, a tool for investigators to be able to track the money used by undercover officers. The witness stated that he believed the vehicles were stolen, but that he was not present when Jordan was arrested for the sale.
Prosecutors also called an specialist in geo-location data analysis to testify about cell site data related to the co-defendants’ phones. The witness stated that he collected call detail records and data session records for the case.
The special agent provided a visual representation of his analysis, which consisted of thirty-seven pages of cell site data. Shown in the exhibits were each defendants’ name, their home addresses, as well as a map connecting cell towers to the defendants’ phones.
The first event was a carjacking that occurred on the 6200 block of Allentown Road in Temple Hills, MD, on Feb. 26, 2023 at approximately midnight.
A cell site tower site near Camp Springs, MD, depicted activity from one of the defendants’ cell phones between 11:05 and 11:09 p. m., which showed that they were in Camp Springs, Maryland at that time. It was unclear which defendant was using the phone.
The special agent’s testimony will resume on Nov. 18.
