4 Pa. men charged in years-long $1.6M theft ring from 55 UPS warehouses

NEWARK, N.J. (WTAJ) — Four Pennsylvania men have been charged for allegedly burglarizing 55 UPS warehouses on the East Coast, taking roughly $1.6 million worth of merchandise.

The four men, Aboudramane Karamoko, 20, Sekou Fofanah, 20, Shamaire Brown, 19, and Quamaire Brown, 19, all of Philadelphia, were charged and detained. Karamoko was arrested in State College on Nov. 15, while the others were taken into custody in Philadelphia on Nov. 16, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.

According to court documents, the four, along with others currently unnamed, conspired to commit these burglaries from January 2021 to April 2023. They involved UPS warehouses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and as far west as Indiana.

The men allegedly targeted a UPS facility and entered by breaking a window — usually late Saturday nights into Sunday mornings. Once inside, the men would look for boxes marked with “lithium-ion battery” warnings, which indicate high-value electronics.

According to the release from the Department of Justice, the team would escape as police arrived at the facility. The packages typically contained Apple products or other electronic devices, however, on at least one occasion, they also stole a firearm from a UPS warehouse.

The four were charged in the District of New Jersey with one count of conspiracy to commit cargo theft. The charge comes with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the offense, whichever is greater.

According to the DOJ, a slew of law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation over the two years, including:

Homeland Security Investigations Newark, South Brunswick Police Department; Warwick, Rhode Island, Police Department; Clarkstown, New York, Police Department; Livonia, Michigan, Police Department; State College Police Department; New York State Police; Fulton County Sheriff’s Office; Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia; Homeland Security Investigations New England; New Jersey State Police; Philadelphia Police Department; Pennsylvania State Police; Ohio State Highway Patrol; Taylor Police Department; Brookfield Police Department; Summit County Prosecutor’s Office; and Centre County District Attorney’s Office.