Annapolis, MD – On Monday, November 2, 2026, in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, The Honorable Judge Elizabeth Morris sentenced Joel Manuel Moreno, age 32, of Silver Spring, to 45 years in prison, suspending all but 25 years to serve in the Division of Correction without the possibility of parole. Moreno will receive credit for time served since March 29, 2024. He must serve a period of supervised probation upon release.
State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess commented, “This defendant lured a victim to a hotel with the intention of robbing him. It is fortunate that no one was physically harmed during this incident. Based on this defendant’s significant criminal history, the Court appropriately gave a lengthy sentence.”
On July 16, 2026, a jury found Moreno guilty of attempted armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, use of firearm in the commission of a felony crime of violence, possession of a regulated firearm after having been convicted of a crime of violence, loaded handgun on person, and wear/carry/transport handgun on person by a jury for an incident in the early morning hours of September 8, 2023. The verdict was reached following a three-day trial.
During the early morning hours of September 8, 2023, officers with the Anne Arundel County Police Department were dispatched to the Garden Inn located in Laurel for the report of a shooting. Investigators determined that a victim was lured to the Garden Inn to meet a female he met on a dating application. The defendants attempted to rob the victim. As the victim tried to flee, the defendant shot several times at the victim’s car, striking it once. Surveillance footage from the area showed the defendant and his codefendants route of travel and clothing descriptions before, during, and after the attempted armed robbery.
Crime scene technicians recovered three spent shell casings in the area where three of the four gunshots were fired by Moreno.
The State was represented by Assistant State’s Attorneys Nancy Jeffein Olin and Matthew Rabb. The investigation was led by Sgt. Sean Buente of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.