Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a Palau national has been sentenced in federal court for carjacking a woman’s vehicle in Anchorage, which led to a vehicle chase during which he caused a collision with another driver.

Cordy Mai Martin, 26, a citizen of Palau who has been living in Fairbanks, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason, to serve 11 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Martin previously pleaded guilty in August 2018 to carjacking and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

According to court documents, at around 5:45 a.m. on the morning of May 4, 2018, in the parking lot of the Alaska Native Medical Center, Martin approached a young woman as she was walking to work in the hospital. Martin ran up to her with a stolen Taurus .40 caliber pistol, racked the slide, and pointed it at her at close range. Martin told her he wanted her keys, which she gave to him. He then asked her where her car was in the parking lot. The woman walked a short ways, pointed out her car, and then ran away inside the hospital.

Martin then drove away in the woman’s vehicle.

Shortly after the carjacking, APD located the woman’s vehicle and attempted to pull Martin over.

Martin refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued with Martin driving at high speed, and on the wrong side of the road. Martin did not stop driving until he collided with another vehicle, causing the other driver to lose consciousness. The driver of the car hit by Martin was transported from the scene to the hospital, where he was treated for significant injuries. After the collision, Martin fled on foot and was arrested after APD K-9 found him hiding in a boat in a nearby yard.

Martin has a previous felony conviction with the State of Alaska for Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Third Degree, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The Anchorage Police Department (APD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Veldhuis. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been

historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to

develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

usao/ak/18-090

Prepared by: Chloe Martin, 907-271-4244, chloe.martin@usdoj.gov