Three Memphis Men Plead Guilty in Series of Carjackings, Kidnappings

Memphis, TN – All three men responsible for a series of violent carjackings and kidnappings that occurred over last year’s holiday season have pled guilty to the charges against them. Adrian Pegues, 19, Malik Malone, 18, and Alan Key, 20, all of Memphis, have each pled guilty in federal court to a series of violent events that occurred in December 2022 in Memphis and Germantown.  Pegues and Key also pled guilty to an additional carjacking that occurred in Memphis in July 2022.  United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the changes of plea today.

According to U.S. Attorney Ritz and information presented in court, on December 20, 2022, Pegues and Malone carjacked and kidnapped two individuals separately, and forced them at gunpoint to withdraw money from ATMs. The facts of those incidents are as follows:

• The two men kidnapped and carjacked the first victim from her driveway in East Memphis. They forced her to drive her vehicle to an ATM at First Citizens National Bank in Arlington, TN and withdraw money from her bank account.  After they forced her to drive around looking for another ATM, they eventually returned to the same ATM and again forced her to withdraw money. 
• Pegues and Malone then ordered the first victim to follow another vehicle into an apartment complex in Cordova, TN, where they kidnapped and carjacked a second victim, again at gunpoint. 
• Pegues and Malone split up and attempted to force the victims to withdraw more money from ATMs.  Eventually, both Pegues and Malone ordered the victims to drop them off in Memphis and they fled.

On December 30, 2022, Pegues, Malone, and Alan Key attempted to kidnap a person at the Saddle Creek shopping center in Germantown with the intent to commit another robbery. 

• The trio parked next to the victim’s vehicle and waited as she exited a store and approached her vehicle.
• As the victim opened her door, Pegues and Malone bumped the victim with their car door, ordered her to get in the vehicle, and tried to get into her vehicle.
• The victim struggled with Pegues and Malone. An armed private citizen saw what was occurring and intervened.  When confronted, the men got back into their vehicle and escaped.    

Additionally, investigators determined that Pegues and Key committed another carjacking in Memphis on July 25, 2022.  During this carjacking, Pegues was armed with a firearm.  Both Pegues and Key also pled guilty to this carjacking and the use of a firearm in this incident as well. 

On May 25, 2023, Malik Malone appeared before Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman and pled guilty to all charges.

On September 5, 2023, Adrian Pegues appeared before Magistrate Judge Charmiane G. Claxton and pled guilty to 11 of the 12 charges against him.  On September 6, 2023, Alan Key also appeared before Magistrate Judge Charmiane G. Claxton; he pled guilty to all charges against him.

Malone is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief Judge Lipman on October 20, 2023.  Pegues and Key will be sentenced by Chief Judge Lipman on December 18, 2023. There is no parole in the federal system.  

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, the Germantown Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Greg Wagner is handling the prosecution of this matter for the government.

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