Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – On Sept. 1, a federal judge sentenced the second of two men involved in an armed carjacking that occurred at a Memphis apartment complex in January 2022. Wesley Richardson, 21, of Memphis was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for his role, said Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. U.S. District Court Judge Jon P. McCalla also ordered Richardson to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

On April 11, Richardson’s co-defendant, Derek Coach, 22, of Memphis, was also sentenced to 121 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to the carjacking. Judge McCalla also ordered that Coach serve three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Memphis Police Department.

According to U.S. Attorney Ritz and the information presented in court, on Jan. 18, 2022, at approximately 7 p.m., the victim parked her 2015 Hyundai Elantra in the parking lot of her apartment complex when two men approached her with a gun. One of the men pointed a gun at her stomach and said, “Give me the keys and everything you have.” The men took the victim’s keys, cell phone, money and bank cards before speeding away in her car.

Approximately two hours later, Memphis police officers spotted the victim’s car near S. Mendenhall and Cottonwood Streets. When officers pursued the vehicle, the driver sped off, eventually crashing into a drainage ditch. Five occupants jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers took three of the suspects into custody and recovered a black backpack with three loaded firearms from the scene.

Both Richardson and Coach admitted to participating in the carjacking. Richardson admitted that he pulled a loaded gun on the victim and stole her car. Coach admitted that he acted as the lookout.

U.S. Attorney Ritz thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Raney Irwin, who prosecuted this case, as well as law enforcement partners who investigated the case.   

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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