Judge Rejects Youth Rehabilitation Sentencing for D.C. Carjacker, Imposes 13½-Year Term

The Department of Justice announced that Dartanian Owens received a 13.5-year prison term for a series of armed robberies and a carjacking that began in April 2025. Despite being 22 at the time of the offenses and thus eligible for reduced sentencing under D.C.’s Youth Rehabilitation Act, Judge Andrea Herzfeld aligned with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s push for tougher penalties. Owens had previously benefited from the Act in two earlier cases, but the judge rejected his request for a youth-focused sentence, joining several other recent denials for similar defendants.

The prosecutor’s office has criticized the Act as overly lenient, citing high rates of juvenile involvement in carjackings. President Donald Trump’s earlier public-safety crackdown in D.C. provides broader context for the intensified prosecutorial approach.