Four men posed as cops to kidnap victims and steal vehicles in Maryland, feds say

Four Baltimore-area men are accused of posing as law enforcement officers to pull over victims, kidnap them, assault them and steal their cars as part of a conspiracy to rob them or their workplaces, according to a release from the Department of Justice.

The men, who were indicted by a federal jury on Thursday, April 14, planned and carried out the kidnappings between May 3 and August 26 of 2021, according to the release.

They targeted three victims, two of whom worked for a check-cashing company that the men wanted to rob, according to the release.

They dressed as police officers, “using police vests, badges, and a law enforcement-type light bar,” to pull two of the victims over while they were in their vehicles, the release states.

The men brandished firearms and a blow torch, and after getting the victims out of their cars, bound them, blindfolded them and put them into their own vehicle, the release states. The men carjacked two of the victims’ vehicles.

On May 5 to 6, they burned a victim with the blow torch as they drove her blindfolded and handcuffed in the back of their car. It was an attempt to get information about the check-cashing business where she worked so that they could try to access it and steal cash, the release states.

On May 15 to 16, the men used their police-style lights to pull a different victim over, kidnap him and put duct-tape over his eyes and mouth, the release states. They then stole his vehicle and burned him with the blow torch to get cash and other belongings from him, the release says.

And on August 2 to 3, the men approached a third victim — who worked at the check-cashing business — as she left work, the release states. Posing as police officers and brandishing firearms, they kidnapped the victim, put her in the back of their car, blindfolded her and threatened her with a gun while driving her around, the release says.

Dennis Allen Hairston, 32; Donte Davon Stanley, 31; Davonne Tramont Dorsey, 28; and Franklin Jay Smith, 32; all face federal charges of “kidnapping and robbery conspiracies; kidnapping; carjacking; using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and attempted robberies of businesses,” the release says.

The men could each face life in prison if convicted, according to the Department of Justice.

This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Four men posed as cops to kidnap victims and steal vehicles in Maryland, feds say."