Three men from Butler County, Ohio, have been arrested and charged in a brazen scheme to steal and ship baby formula across the country.
Khalil Yacub, 44, Khalil Jaghama, and Jasser Saleh, 41, both of Liberty Township, Ohio, were taken into custody this morning by federal authorities in Cincinnati.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced the charges, which stem from an investigation led by the FBI and the Colerain Township Police Department.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Yacub’s family owns and operates the Pit Stop, a convenience store on Galbraith Road in Colerain Township.
Employees of the Pit Stop, including Yacub, Jaghama, and Saleh, allegedly paid individuals – often drug addicts – to steal baby formula, which they would then sell back to the convenience store for a profit.
The defendants would often take photos of the booster’s driver’s license or state ID to prevent them from reporting co-conspirators to the police. They also allegedly brandished a handgun and used a taser to intimidate and control buyers.
Between 2017 and January 2019, the defendants stored and shipped hundreds of cans of baby formula to other parts of the country, using a storage facility to warehouse the stolen goods. A GPS monitor placed on an Enfamil can in the storage facility showed that the product was transported interstate to the West Coast.
The defendants are charged with conspiring to transport and transporting stolen goods, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Conspiracy to commit the crime is punishable by up to five years in prison. They are also charged with unlawful possession of a means of identification, which carries a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Colerain Township Police Department, with assistance from Kroger. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy S. Mangan and Karl P. Kadon are prosecuting the case.
Criminal complaints merely contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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