LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Gang members trafficking drugs and guns committed robberies that resulted in four deaths, according to federal investigators.
Seven people are charged in what was known as a "fentanyl robbery gang."
Federal investigators from Scranton, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York joined state police and local officers Friday morning at the state police facility in Luzerne County to announce seven arrests.
The charges were laid out by Gerard Karam, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
A federal grand jury has charged Amanda Correa, 29, Robert Barnes, 24, Christine DiCarlo, 50, Shaqare Blackwell, 23, Shakur Brownstein, 27, Dylan Small, 35, and Samual Jordan, 42.
Officials say the group, known as the "fentanyl robbery gang or FRG," worked from New Hampshire to Virginia. They are accused of trafficking drugs, forcing victims to ingest fentanyl, and then robbing them.
"We are witnessing the use of fentanyl as a murder weapon," said Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce. "We are not the suburban rural coal towns that we once were. The crimes of the big city are here, and we cannot pretend that they are not. With this press conference, unfortunately, these crimes exceed the horrors that we watch on national news every day."
Authorities say Amanda Correra would lure the victims, who were searching for prostitutes through online dating apps. When they met up, the group would drug and rob them.
"They suffered brutal beatings, robberies at gunpoint and at the hands of these gang members," Karam said.
Police say the group traveled up and down the East Coast from Maine to Virginia until police in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties made a connection.
"Initially seeing these cases, that they were self-inflicted or accidental overdoses—only through the hard work of law enforcement did we see these were intentional murders," Sanguedolce said.
Officials believe this fentanyl robbery gang is connected to more than 50 victims and four deaths—three in Pennsylvania and one in New Hampshire.
"These dangerous criminals will be held accountable, and justice will be sought for the victims and their families," said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris. "The members of this street gang we're talking about today use fentanyl to their advantage—to steal, to rob, to murder."
Charges include:
- Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death or serious bodily injuries,
- Distributing fentanyl resulting in death or serious bodily injuries
- Brandishing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- Kidnapping
- Aggravated identity theft
Watch the full news conference on WNEP's YouTube channel: