Two Sentenced To Prison For Carjacking And Beating Robbery Victim

ATLANTA - Frederick Todd Anderson and David Starks have been sentenced for an attempted robbery of a business where the business owner was carjacked, abducted, pistol-whipped, and left lying in a stream behind an abandoned house.  A third defendant, Deshawn Antoine Mackey, was sentenced previously.

“This was a terrifying and horrific crime that left the victim with lasting injuries. No one should suffer like this victim,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.  “The defendants struck the victim, stole his car, and beat him to get his ATM PIN number before they finally left him for dead in a stream behind an abandoned house.   The lengthy prison sentences the court imposed on Anderson and Starks today are warranted by the savagery of this crime.”   

“These individuals acted in a cold and callous manner with little regard for the life of the victim, and today, justice has been served,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin, who currently oversees Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and the Carolinas. “This case highlights the effective collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies to ensure that violent criminals are put behind bars.”

“The victim and the community deserve safety and justice,” said Clayton County Police Chief Greg Porter.  “We will continue to work hard as everyone in this case did, to ensure justice is served for the victims, and criminals are captured and investigated. Safety is paramount for the Clayton County community. We appreciate the partnerships that existed with this particular investigation.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court:   On March 11, 2013, the three federal defendants – Anderson, Starks, and Mackey – along with two minors who are being prosecuted by the state, jumped the victim as he walked from his vehicle to his office in College Park, Ga. to begin his workday at a shipping company located near Hartsfield-Jackson airport.  The robbers took his wallet, wedding ring, and car keys, and Anderson instructed the minors to take the victim’s car.  The victim was then forced into the backseat of the robbers’ vehicle, where he was repeatedly beaten by Anderson until he provided his ATM PIN number.  Video surveillance captured Starks and Mackey going to several ATM machines to withdraw money from the victim’s account. 

At one point, the victim told the robbers that he had $5000 back at the business location, hoping that police would have already responded to that location.  The robbers went back to the office parking lot with the victim, but left when they saw police nearby.  From there, they drove the victim to an abandoned house, forced him into the backyard, and pistol-whipped him until they left him for dead, lying in the stream.  The victim managed to make it to the street, where a passerby stopped and called police. The victim, who spoke at the sentencing hearings, told the court that he believed that he was going to be killed and that even though he suffered some permanent injury from the beating, he is back at work.

Frederick Todd Anderson, 26, of Riverdale, Ga., has been sentenced to 19 years, 7 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $8,060.  David Starks, 30, of College Park, Ga., has been sentenced to eleven years, eleven months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $8,060.  Both Anderson and Starks were assessed a fee of $300.  He was convicted on these charges on May 2, 2014, after he pleaded guilty.  Deshawn Antoine Mackey, 19, of Riverdale, Ga., was sentenced earlier to five years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Clayton County Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Kim S. Dammers prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.