by Alex Lloyd Gross
For about a year,three males were carjacking people all over the region, from Northeast Philly, Southampton, Yeadon just to name a few of the locations.They all learned their fate last week.
Mikal McCracken, a/k/a “Kal,” age 24, was sentenced to life plus 138 years in prison.
Amin Muse, a/k/a “Miyn” and “Miyns,” age 24, was sentenced to life plus 55 years in prison.
Aleem Abdul-Hakim, a/k/a “Fatleem,” age 23, was sentenced to life plus 28 years in prison.
Dean Fosque, a/k/a “30,” age 28, was sentenced to 86 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
Kavon Coleman, a/k/a “Ski,” age 24, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
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.”