PHILADELPHIA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that five Philadelphia men were sentenced to prison last week by United States District Judge John F. Murphy for conspiring to commit dozens of armed carjackings in and around Philadelphia and selling the stolen cars to buyers, and numerous related violent offenses.
The defendants were charged by superseding indictment in July of 2024 and convicted at trial in March of this year after an eight-week trial, that included over 100 witnesses and significant technical and scientific evidence.
Mikal McCracken, a/k/a “Kal,” age 24, was sentenced to life plus 138 years in prison.
At trial, McCracken was convicted of carjacking resulting in death and related offenses, where he and three others carjacked and killed a former Marine in February of 2022. During the carjacking, McCracken shot the victim several times and killed him. McCracken was also convicted of counts related to his participation in a conspiracy, with two others, to murder a potential witness in February of 2022, whom the conspirators feared might be able to provide evidence against the conspiracy regarding the carjacking resulting in death of the former marine. In addition, McCracken was convicted for offenses related to an additional 19 armed attempted or completed carjackings, and a 20th carjacking was also included as part of his participation in the conspiracy offense. Those armed carjackings included five where victims were shot or shot at. One of these victims was carjacked and shot in the same leg on two separate occasions a month apart.
Amin Muse, a/k/a “Miyn” and “Miyns,” age 24, was sentenced to life plus 55 years in prison.
At trial, Muse was convicted of carjacking resulting in death and related offenses, where he and three others carjacked and killed a former Marine in February of 2022. Muse was also convicted of counts related to his participation in the conspiracy, with two others, to murder the potential witness, whom the conspirators feared might be able to provide evidence against the conspiracy regarding the carjacking resulting in death of the former marine. In addition, Muse was convicted for offenses related to an additional 10 armed attempted or completed carjackings. Those 10 armed carjackings included one where the victim was shot at, and one where the victim was shot in the hand and the foot.
Aleem Abdul-Hakim, a/k/a “Fatleem,” age 23, was sentenced to life plus 28 years in prison.
At trial, Abdul-Hakim was convicted of carjacking resulting in death and related offenses, where he and three others carjacked and killed a former Marine in February of 2022. Abdul-Hakim was also convicted of offenses related to an additional 5 armed attempted or completed carjackings.
Dean Fosque, a/k/a “30,” age 28, was sentenced to 86 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
At trial, Fosque was convicted of offenses related to 10 armed carjackings, which included three shootings, where one of those three victims was hit.
Kavon Coleman, a/k/a “Ski,” age 24, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
At trial, Coleman was convicted of offenses related to four armed attempted or completed carjackings, which included one shooting where the victim of the attempted carjacking was shot in the leg — and that victim had been a previous victim of this conspiracy about a month earlier, where he was carjacked and shot in the same leg.
“The rampant and senseless violence wrought by this carjacking crew demanded a strong response — on both the victims’ and the community’s behalf,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “The Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force will continue to pool the resources and intelligence needed to get the city’s most violent offenders off the street and behind bars. As these defendants’ sentences show, if you commit carjackings here and terrorize innocent people, expect to become a long-term resident in one of our federal prisons.”
As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, between October 2021 and October 2022, groups of rotating carjackers, including McCracken, Muse, Abdul-Hakim, Fosque, Coleman, and others, committed dozens of gunpoint carjackings, often carrying out multiple carjackings in one night. Many of these crimes occurred in Southwest and Northeast Philadelphia, and there were also carjackings in the surrounding suburbs, including Yeadon, Millbourne, Lower Southampton, and King of Prussia.
The carjackers used firearms and often assaulted their victims, sometimes by shooting them. In addition to cars, they also took personal identification, credit cards, and money from their victims. In several cases, conspirators then used the stolen identification materials to commit fraud crimes.
In all, the conspiracy involved approximately 60 carjackings, 30 of which were charged in the superseding indictment, two of which were presented as overt acts of the conspiracy. The conspiracy also included the additional carjacking which resulted in the murder of the victim, and the second murder of the potential witness. The charges included numerous shootings, including four shootings that left the victims (one of whom had been carjacked and shot on two different occasions) seriously injured.
The first murder occurred on February 6, 2022, when McCracken, Muse, and Abdul-Hakim, along with Jonathan Akubu, charged elsewhere, carjacked Victim 1, and shot and killed him in the process. McCracken, Muse, and Abdul-Hakim approached Victim 1 with guns and demanded his car, while Akubu waited on another block in the car used by the offenders. During the carjacking McCracken shot and killed Victim 1.
In their haste to flee the scene in Victim 1’s car, which was already running, the carjackers failed to take Victim 1’s key fob, which they would need to continue operating the stolen car after it was eventually shut off. Accordingly, they enlisted the help of a locksmith (Victim 2) to make them a new key for the car.
Shortly after the key was made, the police located and recovered Victim 1’s vehicle. McCracken, Muse, and Akubu feared that law enforcement would identify the locksmith through forensics, because he touched the car while making the replacement key. The three believed that if identified, the locksmith would then cooperate with law enforcement investigating the killing and lead investigators toward the conspiracy, so they agreed to kill Victim 2 and they all planned his murder, which Akubu carried out on behalf of the conspirators on February 12, 2022.
The investigation revealed that the carjackers, who usually operated in smaller groups of two to four, had been responsible for numerous carjackings dating as far back as October of 2021. The defendants conspired with each other and other conspirators to sell these carjacked cars to buyers overseas. Several of the carjacked cars taken during this conspiracy were discovered in shipping containers bound for countries abroad.
“The brazen and deadly acts of violence in this case shattered lives, devastated families, and threatened the safety and well-being of Philadelphia communities,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “While no sentence can undo the harm inflicted, this outcome reflects the tireless work of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and our law enforcement partners to hold those responsible accountable. At the center of our efforts are the victims, those whose lives were tragically cut short, the loved ones left behind, and the survivors forever changed by these senseless acts. These sentences are a measure of justice for them and a reflection of our unwavering commitment to combating violent crime and making Philadelphia safer for everyone who calls this city home.”
“This case represented some of the very worst of what we saw during the rise of violent carjackings: calculated, coordinated, and completely indifferent to human life,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “These individuals didn’t just steal cars — they terrorized neighborhoods, took innocent lives, and attempted to silence witnesses to cover their crimes. Thanks to the relentless work of the Philadelphia Police Department and our federal partners, this violent crew has been dismantled and held accountable. Let this be clear: if you bring this level of violence to our city, we will bring the full weight of law enforcement down on you. At the same time, we are seeing real progress: violent crime, including carjackings, continues to trend down because of the dedication of our officers and the strength of these partnerships. This is what the work looks like, and we are not slowing down.”
“ATF protects our communities from violent crime, and these sentences close the book on one of the most extensive and terrible carjacking rings in American history,” said ATF Philadelphia Field Division Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree. “Through the teamwork of the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, we brought these brazen criminals to justice. Their prison sentences should be a deterrent to those who think they can terrorize this city with carjackings, murder, and witness intimidation.”
“These convictions should send a loud message to auto thieves that CBP and our law enforcement partners will continue to treat violent carjacking as a serious public safety threat and will hold perpetrators accountable. CBP continues to combat transnational criminal organizations by intercepting stolen vehicle exports at our nation’s ports of entry and depriving criminal gangs of this illicit revenue,” said Elliot N. Ortiz, CBP’s Area Port Director in Philadelphia.
“HSI Philadelphia, working closely with our law enforcement partners, identified and disrupted the overseas trafficking of vehicles stolen through this violent carjacking conspiracy,” said HSI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Nathan Abel. “Today’s sentences hold these defendants accountable not only for the vehicles they stole, but for the devastating violence they inflicted on victims and the Philadelphia community. HSI remains committed to using our global reach and investigative expertise alongside our partners to combat transnational criminal activity and protect the public.”
This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, comprising the FBI, Philadelphia Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with significant assistance from the Philadelphia offices of Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, which helped investigate and uncover carjacked cars meant to be exported overseas. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph LaBar and Katherine Shulman.
