A man arrested in State College last week was allegedly part of a conspiracy to burglarize UPS warehouses across the United States over two years, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Aboudramane Karamoko, 20, of Philadelphia, was taken into custody on Nov. 15 in State College. Sekou Fofanah, 20, Shamaire Brown, 19, and Quamaire Brown, 19, were arrested in Philadelphia the following day.
The four men are accused of taking part in a scheme between January 2021 and April 2023 to steal approximately $1.6 million worth of merchandise from 55 UPS facilities, including warehouses in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Rhode Island, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey wrote in a press release.
They and others would allegedly enter a targeted facility, typically between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, by breaking the window of a loading bay door or prying the bay door open. Once inside, they sought out parcels marked with “lithium-ion battery” warnings to find expensive electronic devices that they then stole, according to the release. On at least one occasion, they also allegedly stole a firearm.
All four men were charged with conspiracy to commit cargo theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Karamoko made his initial appearance in U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania, while the three other men appeared in U.S. Eastern District Court. Their cases have since been committed to U.S. District Court of New Jersey and they remain in custody.
State College police, Pennsylvania State Police and the Centre County District Attorney’s Office were among 15 law enforcement agencies that assisted special agents from Homeland Security Investigations Newark in the investigation.
