NEWARK, NJ – U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced charges against three New Jersey men for their involvement in a series of armed robberies in Passaic County in August 2022. Kareem Powell, 30, of Willingboro, and his co-defendants Carlos Diaz and Edward Porter, both 30, from Paterson, face multiple counts of Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Following his arrest on November 21, 2023, Powell appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and was detained. Diaz and Porter were previously indicted on similar charges, with the superseding indictment adding additional counts for both.
The incidents include the armed robbery of a Passaic bodega and a Paterson business on August 22, 2022, with Powell, Diaz, and Porter allegedly threatening victims and ordering customers to the ground. On August 23, 2022, Diaz and Porter reportedly robbed a Passaic liquor store and another business in Paterson, with Porter accused of assaulting victims during these robberies.
Each count of brandishing a firearm carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, to be served consecutively with other sentences. Hobbs Act robbery can result in up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count.