NEWARK, N.J. – Four Essex County, New Jersey, men have been charged in connection with an armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service employee, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Troy D. Corbett Jr., 28, Dyshawn Williams, 28, and Antwuan Brown, 24, all of Newark, are charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. Corbett and Williams are also charged with assaulting or impeding a federal officer using a deadly weapon. Brown and Karieem Stamps, 25, also of Newark, are charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Corbett is also charged with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Stamps is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Corbett, Williams, and Stamps were arrested in Newark on Aug. 1, 2024, and made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court. Corbett, Williams, and Stamps were detained. Brown was arrested on Aug. 1, 2024, in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, and made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler in North Carolina federal court. Brown was detained.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
In November 2023, three individuals – including Corbett and Williams – robbed a U.S. Postal Service employee at gunpoint in Newark. The assailants stole the victim’s cell phone, keys, and wallet – including a credit card and debit card. The robbery impeded the victim from delivering mail, which interfered with interstate commerce. Shortly after the robbery, Stamps and Brown used the stolen debit card to make separate purchases. Both transactions passed through servers located outside of New Jersey.
On Jan. 18, 2024, Corbett – who was convicted of felony offenses in 2018 – possessed a distribution quantity of suspected methamphetamine and a pistol loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition that was manufactured outside of New Jersey. On Aug. 1, 2024, Stamps – who was convicted of a felony offense in 2020 – possessed a Glock 29 Gen5 handgun with an extended magazine and approximately 25 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition.
The counts of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and assaulting or impeding a federal employee carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The counts of wire fraud carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The counts of aggravated identity theft carry a mandatory two-year prison sentence. The counts of possession of ammunition or a firearm by a convicted felon carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory five-year prison sentence – which must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed – and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation. He also thanked special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; deputies of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; police officers and detectives of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé; officers of the New Jersey State Parole Board, under the direction of Chairman Samuel J. Plumeri Jr.; and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Jacobs of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.