A Minneapolis man charged with participating in a violent carjacking spree that targeted rideshare drivers has pleaded guilty to charges that also include pulling a gun on an FBI agent who tried to arrest him.
William Charles Saffold, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in a violent 2021 spree across the Twin Cities that federal prosecutors made a focal point of a renewed push to prosecute violent crime.
Saffold was indicted earlier this year along with three others in a conspiracy that involved luring Uber and Lyft drivers to locations the drivers believed were for dropping off or picking up passengers. The carjackers instead ambushed their victims at gunpoint.
According to Saffold's plea agreement, the conspirators stole cellphones, wallets and victims' vehicles. They forced their victims to unlock phone applications that were then used to transfer money from the victims' accounts over to the conspirators.
The spree spanned about 5½ weeks between September 2021 through October 2021. During that time, Saffold and others would pistol-whip their victims and threaten to kill them if they did not comply with their orders, according to court documents.
Saffold was first charged by indictment on April 26. As FBI agents sought to arrest him on a warrant on May 11 in Minneapolis, Saffold drew a pistol and pointed it at one agent before escaping on foot.
Saffold pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to use, carry, and brandish firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez has not yet scheduled a sentencing date for him.
The indictment carries a maximum prison term of 20 years. Federal prosecutors believe Saffold's sentencing guideline range is between 12½ and 15½ years in prison. Under his plea agreement, Saffold "reserves the right to argue" that his range should be between 8 and 10 years in prison.