TULSA, OKLA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Oklahoma, Northern), published as received.

TULSA, Okla. – Today in federal court, Ray Alexander Villalba, 21, of Arizona, and Elijah Paul Titone, 25, of Muskogee plead guilty to Carjacking; Carrying and Using a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Commerce by Robbery; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.   

According to both plea agreements, on December 3, 2022, Villalba and Titone messaged a victim to meet up through a dating app. Villalba and Titone took guns, duct tape, and masks. They hid in bushes and when the victim arrived, they hit, bound, and blindfolded him. They forced the victim to turn over the keys to his vehicle.  Villalba drove, while Titone rode in the back with the victim. They threatened him and his family if he did not comply with their commands. Blindfolded and bound, the victim was forced out of the car where Villablba and Titone drove off. The victim was able to break the binding and walked home. He contacted the Tulsa Police Department and reported the vehicle stolen.

During a second incident on December 6, 2022, Villalba and Titone broke into a home in Broken Arrow wearing ski masks and carrying firearms. They threatened the victim in the home and demanded marijuana. The victim did not comply and Villalba hit him in the eye with his firearm. As a result, the victim lost sight in that eye. Before leaving the home, they took his cell phone and keys.

Villalba and Titone will remain in custody awaiting sentencing. They both face multiple term of imprisonment including up to life for the firearm offenses. At sentencing, the federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tulsa Police Department, and Broken Arrow Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and John Brasher are prosecuting 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.