PHILADELPHIA, PA — Five Philadelphia men received prison sentences ranging from 35 years to life plus 138 years for their roles in a violent carjacking conspiracy involving approximately 60 vehicle thefts, two murders and an overseas stolen-car trafficking operation that extended into Philadelphia’s suburbs, including King of Prussia.
U.S. District Judge John F. Murphy imposed the sentences last week following an eight-week federal trial that ended in March 2026. Prosecutors established that members of the conspiracy carried out armed carjackings between October 2021 and October 2022, frequently targeting multiple motorists in a single night.
The defendants were convicted of offenses connected to a network that stole vehicles at gunpoint, assaulted motorists and sold stolen cars to buyers involved in overseas exports. Investigators recovered several of the vehicles in shipping containers destined for foreign countries.
Three defendants received life sentences for their involvement in the February 2022 carjacking and killing of a former Marine.
Mikal McCracken, 24, also known as “Kal,” received life plus 138 years in prison. Jurors convicted him of carjacking resulting in death, offenses connected to a conspiracy to murder a potential witness and crimes involving 19 additional armed attempted or completed carjackings.
A 20th carjacking was included in the conspiracy charge. Five of the additional incidents involved victims being shot or shot at.
Amin Muse, 24, also known as “Miyn” and “Miyns,” received life plus 55 years. His convictions included carjacking resulting in death, participation in the witness-murder conspiracy and offenses involving 10 additional armed attempted or completed carjackings.
Those incidents included one in which a victim was shot at and another in which a victim suffered gunshot wounds to the hand and foot.
Aleem Abdul-Hakim, 23, also known as “Fatleem,” received life plus 28 years after being convicted of carjacking resulting in death and offenses involving five additional armed attempted or completed carjackings.
Two other defendants received lengthy prison terms for their participation in the conspiracy.
Dean Fosque, 28, also known as “30,” was sentenced to 86 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. His convictions involved 10 armed carjackings, including three incidents in which shots were fired and one victim was struck.
Kavon Coleman, 24, also known as “Ski,” received 35 years in prison and five years of supervised release for offenses involving four armed attempted or completed carjackings.
One of those incidents involved a victim who was shot in the leg after having been carjacked and wounded in the same leg approximately one month earlier.
The convictions followed a July 2024 superseding indictment and a trial involving more than 100 witnesses, along with technical and scientific evidence.
Federal prosecutors described a conspiracy in which participants operated in rotating groups of two to four people, frequently using firearms to threaten motorists and seize their vehicles.
The crimes occurred primarily in Southwest and Northeast Philadelphia, with additional carjackings in Yeadon, Millbourne, Lower Southampton Township and King of Prussia.
The conspiracy encompassed approximately 60 carjackings. The superseding indictment charged 30 of them, while two others were presented as overt acts supporting the conspiracy charge.
Prosecutors also established that participants stole identification documents, credit cards and money from motorists, with some of those materials subsequently used to commit fraud.
The most serious convictions stemmed from two killings committed six days apart in February 2022.
On Feb. 6, 2022, McCracken, Muse and Abdul-Hakim participated in the armed carjacking of a former Marine, accompanied by Jonathan Akubu, who was charged separately.
According to evidence presented at trial, McCracken, Muse and Abdul-Hakim approached the victim with firearms and demanded his vehicle while Akubu waited nearby in another car.
McCracken fatally shot the former Marine during the carjacking.
The group fled in the stolen vehicle but left behind the victim’s key fob, preventing them from restarting the car once its engine was turned off.
They subsequently enlisted a locksmith to create a replacement key.
After police recovered the stolen vehicle, McCracken, Muse and Akubu became concerned that investigators could identify the locksmith through forensic evidence and that he might cooperate with authorities investigating the killing.
Prosecutors established that the three conspired to murder the locksmith to prevent him from potentially identifying members of the carjacking operation.
Akubu carried out the killing on Feb. 12, 2022, according to the evidence presented at trial.
The broader conspiracy included numerous shootings. Four shooting incidents left victims seriously injured, including the motorist who was carjacked and shot on two separate occasions.
The stolen-vehicle operation also had an international component.
Federal investigators determined that conspirators sold stolen vehicles to buyers involved in shipping automobiles overseas for resale. Several vehicles taken during the carjackings were discovered in shipping containers bound for other countries.
Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations assisted in identifying vehicles intended for export and examining the trafficking operation.
“The rampant and senseless violence wrought by this carjacking crew demanded a strong response — on both the victims’ and the community’s behalf,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said.
FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs emphasized the consequences for victims and their families, describing the sentences as a measure of accountability for the killings and other violent offenses.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel characterized the conspiracy as a coordinated operation that targeted motorists and attempted to eliminate potential witnesses.
The investigation was conducted by the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force, which includes the FBI, Philadelphia Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Philadelphia offices of Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations provided additional assistance, particularly in tracing stolen vehicles intended for overseas shipment.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph LaBar and Katherine Shulman prosecuted the case.
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