ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Silver Spring man was convicted on multiple felony charges after prosecutors alleged he helped lure a victim to a Laurel hotel through a dating app and opened fire when the attempted robbery failed.
An Anne Arundel County jury found Joel Manuel Moreno, 32, guilty July 16, 2026, following a three-day trial in Circuit Court.
Moreno was convicted of:
- Attempted armed robbery
- Conspiracy to commit armed robbery
- First-degree assault
- Second-degree assault
- Reckless endangerment
- Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony or crime of violence
- Possession of a regulated firearm after a crime-of-violence conviction
- Carrying a loaded handgun
- Wearing, carrying or transporting a handgun
The charges stem from an incident during the early morning hours of Sept. 8, 2023.
Anne Arundel County police responded to the Garden Inn in Laurel for a reported shooting. Investigators determined the victim had been lured to the hotel to meet a woman he encountered through a dating application.
Prosecutors reported that Moreno and others attempted to rob the victim. When the victim tried to escape, Moreno fired four shots toward the victim’s vehicle, striking it once.
The victim escaped and called 911.
Surveillance footage showed the suspects’ clothing and movements before, during and after the attempted robbery, according to prosecutors.
Crime scene technicians recovered three spent shell casings from the area where three of the four shots were fired.
“This defendant conspired to rob someone, attempted to execute the plan and when that didn’t work out, he fired a gun four times at the victim’s vehicle,” Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess stated. “Thankfully, the victim was able to escape and bravely called 911 to report the incident.”
Judge Elizabeth Morris presided over the trial and scheduled sentencing for Nov. 2, 2026.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Nancy Jeffein Olin and Matthew Rabb prosecuted the case. Sgt. Sean Buente of the Anne Arundel County Police Department led the investigation.
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