Minneapolis man sentenced to 15 years in prison for violent carjackings
A Minneapolis man who admitted to five violent carjackings in the Twin Cities will spend just over 15 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office of Minnesota announced Tuesday.
Jeremiah Lee Ironrope, 25, was sentenced to 184 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $49,213 in restitution for his role in the 2020 carjackings.
“This disturbing wave of carjackings throughout the Twin Cities is eroding our overall sense of safety and security,” said U.S. Attorney Luger said in a statement. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working in close coordination with all levels of law enforcement to bring this trend to an end.”
According to court documents, Ironrope, and his co-defendant Krisanne Marie Benjamin, were caught after committing a carjacking at gunpoint in a Richfield parking lot in August 2020.
During the incident, Ironrope pointed a shotgun with a sawed-off barrel at the vehicle's driver and demanded the car keys. He then drove away in the Audi. Benjamin, keeping watch, followed in the maroon SUV they had arrived in.
The next day, the Minnesota State Patrol tracked the stolen Audi using GPS data and Ironrope led officers on a high-speed chase. Benjamin got out of the vehicle during the pursuit and fled on foot.
Officers later found the vehicle abandoned in Minneapolis. It had been partially spray-painted.
Officers searched the vehicle and found a stolen wallet, spray paint, a hat, gloves, and a used shotgun shell.
In September 2021, Iron pleaded guilty to one county of carjacking and one count of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Benjamin pleaded guilty to one county of aiding and abetting carjacking.
As part of their guilty pleas, Ironrope and Benjamin admitted to two additional carjackings that occurred on July 26, 2020, in Maple Grove and August 7, 2020, in St. Paul, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In both instances, the Ironrope and Benjamin physically assaulted the victims before stealing their vehicles.
Ironrope also admitted to two December 2020 carjackings in St. Louis Park and St. Paul. In both instances, he pointed a handgun at the victims before stealing their vehicles.
