PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Three Philadelphia men pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing packages at dozens of UPS warehouses in multiple states.
Investigators say the trio hit 55 warehouses in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Rhode Island from January 2021 to April 2023.
The U.S. Attorney of New Jersey says 20-year-old Sekou Fofanah, 19-year-old Shamaire Brown, and 19-year-old Quamaire Brown admitted to breaking into the warehouses by prying open loading dock doors and, once inside, seeking out packages with lithium battery warning labels, which often indicate expensive electronics like phones and computers are enclosed. In total, they stole around $1.6 million of electronics.
The charge of conspiracy to commit cargo theft comes with a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison plus fines up to twice the value of the merchandise stolen.