Crime

Several arrested after 50+ victims from Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virginia allegedly drugged and robbed

Published

4 months ago

July 15, 2024

Ken Paiva

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that Amanda Marie Correa, 29, Robert Andrew Barnes, 24, Christine Deann DiCarlo, 50, Shaqare Jaymont Blackwell, 23, Shakur Serafin Brownstein, 27, Dylan Wilson Small, 35, and Samual Jordan, 42, were charged by a federal grand jury in a Superseding Indictment which includes conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury; two counts of distributing fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury; two counts of brandishing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; kidnapping; and aggravated identity theft.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment notes that this group of individuals that law enforcement has dubbed the “Fentanyl Robbery Gang (F.R.G.),” some of whom were affiliated with New York gangs, trafficked drugs and guns. Additionally, they used dating websites to connect with individuals interested in hiring prostitutes. Members and associates of the F.R.G. would arrange to come to the victim’s location with the intent to rob the victim of firearms, cash, cellular telephones, identification documents, debit and credit cards, drugs, and other items of value.

The victim would be offered narcotics (usually purported cocaine), though unbeknownst to the victim, the narcotics contained fentanyl. If the victim refused the drugs, members of and associates of the F.R.G. would administer fentanyl-laced narcotics to the victim by forcibly or surreptitiously introducing it into the victim’s body. This was done to incapacitate victims as to steal firearms, cash, cellular telephones, identification documents, debit and credit cards, drugs, and other items of value. If a victim was not incapacitated, or not incapacitated quickly enough, members of the F.R.G. would instead change course and simply commit home-invasion robberies where they would be let into the victim’s home by other members and associates and then steal items of value at gunpoint or through other violent means, including threats, beatings, and aggravated assault.

The superseding indictment alleges that four individuals have died as the result of overdosing on fentanyl. Three deaths occurred in Berks and Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and one death in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The seven individuals named in the superseding indictment are all in custody. This is an on-going investigation and law enforcement are attempting to identify and arrest additional members and associates of F.R.G. and to identify and locate victims. Victims and others who may have information concerning F.R.G. are requested to contact the FBI at 570-344-2404.

According to Fox56, over 50 more potential crime scenes are being investigated. Over 50 victims have been identified from Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Virginia

The charges were the result of a joint investigation by the FBI; Pennsylvania State Police, the United States Marshals Service – Scranton office; the District Attorney Offices of Pike, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming, and Berks Counties in Pennsylvania; the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department, and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; and various state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorneys Todd K. Hinkley and Luisa Honora Berti are prosecuting the case.