Raleigh Man Sentenced to More Than 14 Years for Robbery and Carjacking Offenses

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today, JAMES DANIEL BLOODWORTH, 60, of Raleigh, was sentenced by United States Senior District Judge W. Earl Britt for robbery and carjacking offenses. Judge Britt sentenced BLOODWORTH to 175 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.

BLOODWORTH was charged in a six-count indictment on January 31, 2018, and pled guilty on July 9, 2018 to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and carjacking.

Between June 14 and June 16, 2017, BLOODWORTH committed a series of armed robberies and carjackings in Wake and Durham counties.

Specifically, on June 14, 2017, BLOODWORTH entered a CVS in Raleigh, approached an employee at the cash register, brandished a handgun and demanded money. He threatened to shoot her if she did not comply. BLOODWORTH ultimately stole $200. On June 15, 2017 BLOODWORTH entered a Walgreens in Cary, NC, approached an employee and asked for a pack of cigarettes. When the employee reached the cash register, BLOODWORTH retrieved a gun, pointed it at the employee and then stole $400 from the cash register and cigarettes.

On June 16, 2017, BLOODWORTH approached a woman getting out of her vehicle. He pressed a gun to her back, threatened to kill her if she screamed, ordered her to drop her keys, and stole her Toyota Camry. Later that night, BLOODWORTH was caught fleeing the scene of another carjacking in Durham. After a short chase, he crashed the stolen vehicle and was arrested.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Erin Blondel handled the prosecution of this case for the government.