A federal jury in Philadelphia has slammed the brakes on what prosecutors describe as a violent carjacking crew that terrorized city streets and nearby suburbs, leaving two people dead in its wake. On Thursday, jurors convicted five men — Mikal McCracken, Amin Muse, Aleem Abdul-Hakim, Dean Fosque and Kavon Coleman — of federal charges tied to a sprawling carjacking conspiracy. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled, and each man now faces the possibility of life in prison.
Convictions delivered in federal court
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the five defendants were found guilty at trial of conspiring to commit at least 29 armed carjackings listed in a superseding indictment. Prosecutors said the broader conspiracy covered roughly 60 carjackings between October 2021 and October 2022.
Officials outlined individual verdicts, including McCracken’s conviction on a carjacking charge that resulted in death along with 20 additional armed carjackings. According to prosecutors, each defendant now faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. The case reached trial after what authorities described as a lengthy, multiagency investigation by the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force.
How prosecutors say the ring operated
Prosecutors told jurors the group worked in rotating crews that hunted for newer, high-end cars across Southwest and Northeast Philadelphia and into nearby suburbs including Yeadon, Millbourne, Lower Southampton and King of Prussia, as reported by FOX 29. Some crews allegedly struck multiple times in a single night.
The government leaned on witness testimony, cellphone and GPS data, and ballistic evidence to connect the men to a series of robberies and shootings tied to the stolen vehicles. Interest in the high-profile case was strong enough that an overflow courtroom was used to stream the verdicts, local coverage noted.
Victims and an international trail
Court records and earlier reporting show the spree turned deadly in February 2022. Prosecutors allege that McCracken, Muse and Abdul-Hakim joined another co-defendant in killing 60-year-old George Briscella outside his mother’s home on the 2100 block of Afton Street in Rhawnhurst. They also allege that a locksmith who may have been a witness was later killed on the 8100 block of Grovers Avenue in Eastwick…