Elmer Bonilla, a 23-year-old DC resident, has been handed an 84-month sentence for his role in a series of violent carjackings across the District of Columbia and Maryland, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The conspiracy persisted into 2024, with activities continuing despite multiple arrests within the group.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the sentencing following Bonilla’s guilty plea on May 30, 2025, for using a firearm in a violent crime and aiding and abetting. Court documents paint a picture of the crime spree, with the first incident on Jan. 24, 2024, where Bonilla and his co-conspirators, armed and masked, accosted a driver in Northwest DC., using force to commandeer a Dodge Challenger.
The following day, the group’s aggressive methods were on display in Hyattsville, Maryland, as they trapped a BMW before making off with it at gunpoint. Bonilla continued his streak of crime after a co-defendant’s arrest, burglarizing a residence and directing evidence removal via text message, as detailed in court statements obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office…