Theft of 2 million dimes from truckload of coins leaving US Mint in Philadelphia leaves 4 men facing federal charges.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that prosecutors contend that the theft, which they now say totaled $234,500 in stolen dimes, was part of a spree of robberies from tractor-trailers passing through the region that also netted the thieves frozen crab legs, shrimp, meat, beer and liquor.
Authorities said that the truck filled with dimes was headed from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia to Miami, Florida when the heist occurred on April 13.
Authorities said that the group made off with a portion of its cargo of $750,000 in dimes, a shipment weighing about six tons. The thieves left dimes scattered all over the parking lot near the truck.
Detectives said at the time that surveillance video showed six men, dressed in gray hoodies and armed with bolt cutters, approaching the truck in the middle of the night and breaking into it, then loading the coins into smaller bags and into a waiting truck.
The indictment unsealed Friday alleges that after the theft, thousands of dimes were converted into cash at coin machines in Maryland or through deposits to at least four different suburban Philadelphia banks, the newspaper reported.
Four Philadelphia men, 25-year-old Rakiem Savage, 31-year-old Ronald Byrd, 30-year-old Haneef Palmer and 32-year-old Malik Palmer, face conspiracy, robbery, theft of government money and other charges.
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