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Two men get 15 years for suburban carjackings

Two West African men have received 15-year federal prison sentences for participating in a series of violent carjackings in the Philadelphia suburbs, authorities said.

Two West African men have received 15-year federal prison sentences for participating in a series of violent carjackings in the Philadelphia suburbs, authorities said.

Jakuba Janneh, 31, and Unisa Kamara, 21, both from Sierra Leone, pleaded guilty in September 2008 to two counts of brandishing a firearm during a carjacking.

The crimes, one in Havertown and the other in Montgomery Township, occurred Nov. 14, 2007, and targeted women driving high-end luxury cars. Both vehicles - a Toyota FJ cruiser and a Range Rover - were recovered that day in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia after a shoot-out with police.

As part of their plea agreements, Janneh and Kamara admitted that they had committed seven other carjackings. Janneh, of Philadelphia, who was sentenced Wednesday, was facing deportation proceedings before the carjackings. Kamara, of Dale City, Va., sentenced Thursday, is a legal permanent resident. - Sam Wood