HOSUTON – Two Houston residents have been ordered to federal prison after beating and carjacking an Uber driver, the United States Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Frank Lewis Blanco, 28, and Destinee Guerrero, 24, pleaded guilty to carjacking with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm on June 23.
According to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. District Judge David Hittner imposed a 120-month term of imprisonment for Blanco, while Guerrero received 72 months. Both must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences.
Investigators said on Nov. 13, 2022, Blanco and Guerrero ordered an Uber at around 8:30 a.m. However, once inside the vehicle, authorities said the couple repeatedly changed their destination, directing the driver around Houston for about 30 minutes. The driver asked the couple to get out of the car but they refused. He stopped at a gas station, where authorities said he asked a worker to call the police. While waiting for authorities, the driver reportedly asked Blanco and Guerrero to get out of his car again. The couple then began to attack him, knocked him unconscious, repeatedly stomped and kicked his body and then stole his car, the DOJ said. The gas station cameras captured the beating.
At the hearing, the court heard from the victim, who described what happened to him and his subsequent injuries. According to a news release from the DOJ, the victim described how Blanco and Guerrero “treated his head like a football,” and how he now has permanent damage to his eye and nose. The court also heard additional testimony, including how the victim is an immigrant who works hard to support his wife and children. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Hittner commented on the “extreme violent nature and circumstances of the offense.”
“Justice is blind,” Hamdani said. “Whether a businessman heading to the office or an immigrant climbing into the driver’s seat, everyone deserves to be safe at work. As the son of an immigrant cab driver, I am heartbroken for what the victim endured and suffered for just doing his job. Thankfully, the court, today, provided justice to this working-class man.”
Blanco and Guerrero have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Tallichet is prosecuting the case.
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