The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that a federal grand jury has charged seven individuals in a case involving a widespread drugging and robbery scheme.
The accused, 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), face serious charges including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and serious bodily injury, distributing fentanyl, brandishing firearms, kidnapping, and aggravated identity theft.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the group, known to law enforcement as the “Fentanyl Robbery Gang” (F.R.G.), was involved in trafficking drugs and firearms, with some members affiliated with New York gangs.
The indictment states that the F.R.G. used dating websites to lure individuals interested in hiring prostitutes. Once contact was made, the gang members would go to the victim’s location, intending to rob them of firearms, cash, cellular phones, identification documents, debit and credit cards, drugs, and other valuables.
The F.R.G. members would offer victims narcotics, usually presented as cocaine but secretly laced with fentanyl. If the victim refused the drugs, the gang would forcibly or secretly administer the fentanyl-laced narcotics to incapacitate the victim.
This allowed the gang to steal valuables from the incapacitated victims. In cases where the victim was not quickly incapacitated, the gang resorted to home-invasion robberies, gaining entry with the help of other gang members and then using violence or threats to steal valuables.
The indictment reports that four individuals died from fentanyl overdoses as a result of the gang’s activities, with three deaths occurring in Berks and Luzerne Counties, Pennsylvania, and one in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
All seven indicted individuals are currently in custody, and law enforcement is continuing the investigation to identify and arrest additional members and associates of the F.R.G. as well as locate more victims. The FBI has requested that victims or anyone with information about the F.R.G. contact them at 570-344-2404.
Fox56 reports that over 50 potential crime scenes are under investigation, with more than 50 identified victims from Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.
The charges result from a comprehensive investigation by multiple agencies, including the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, United States Marshals Service—Scranton office, District Attorney Offices from several Pennsylvania counties, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department.
New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and various state and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Todd K. Hinkley and Luisa Honora Berti.
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The arrest and indictment of the F.R.G. members mark a significant step in addressing the distribution of fentanyl and associated violent crimes. Law enforcement agencies are working diligently to bring justice to the victims and prevent further harm from such dangerous criminal activities. The ongoing investigation continues to uncover the extent of the gang’s operations and aims to bring additional perpetrators to justice.
