United States of America v. Kristian Jackson

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with aiding and abetting carjacking.

The Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, assessed $100, and ordered to pay $7,400 restitution.

Kristian Jackson, age 20, of Philadelphia, and co-defendants Legend Hall, 20, also of Philadelphia, and Jalaal Claitt, 20, of Atlanta, Georgia, were charged by superseding indictment in April of last year.[1] Jackson pleaded guilty in October to one count of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on September 17, 2024, Victim #1 parked on the 300 block of 62nd Street in Philadelphia and reported being immediately approached by three males, later identified by investigators as Hall, Jackson, and Claitt.

One of the defendants asked Victim #1 to drive them somewhere. When Victim #1 refused, two of the males took out handguns and told Victim #1 to get out of the car. The three males then got into Victim #1’s black Chevy Malibu and drove off with Victim #1’s iPhone 14 and approximately $500 that was in the car.

Last week, Claitt pleaded guilty to two counts of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; Hall pleaded guilty to the same counts last July. They will be sentenced at a later date, and both face a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum term of seven years’ imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert and Special Assistant United States Attorney Samantha A. Arena.