Evergreen Reporter

David Zanders, a 22-year-old resident of Washington D.C., has entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court related to a kidnapping and robbery incident outside a nightclub in Northwest Washington, as well as a carjacking that occurred later the same day. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Zanders admitted guilt to charges of kidnapping and carjacking before U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who scheduled sentencing for March 4, 2025. Zanders could face life imprisonment for the kidnapping charge and up to 15 years for carjacking. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Zanders was taken into custody on November 18, 2022, and has remained detained since his arrest.

Court documents reveal that on May 1, 2022, Zanders and an accomplice kidnapped two men outside a nightclub located on Florida Avenue NW after falsely claiming to be Uber drivers. Once inside Zanders' vehicle, he brandished a firearm at the victims and robbed them of their phones and money.

The victims were driven to several locations where attempts were made to withdraw cash using their credit cards. One victim managed to escape at a gas station while Zanders sought an ATM with his accomplice. Subsequently, they transported the second victim to Maryland where they successfully withdrew funds from an ATM before releasing him at another location.

Later that day, Zanders met with additional victims under the pretense of selling his car on Longfellow Street NW but instead aimed to steal their vehicle. Upon arrival in a green Dodge Charger, Zanders threatened one victim with a firearm demanding personal belongings while his accomplices took keys from the second person allowing them to drive away with the Charger.

The investigation involved efforts from MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Unit along with FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force supported by Prince George’s County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shehzad Akhtar and Cameron Tepfer are leading the prosecution alongside contributions from former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Renaud. Initial investigations were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas.