Philadelphia Men Convicted at Trial of Armed Carjacking of FedEx Truck

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ronald Byrd, 37, and Saikeen Dixon, 32, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were convicted today at trial of carjacking, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with their armed carjacking of a FedEx truck in August of 2022. Byrd was also convicted of attempted possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. After the convictions, during a second phase of the trial, Byrd stipulated that he had previously been convicted of a drug offense and also agreed to plead guilty to an additional firearms charge.

The defendants were charged by superseding indictment in September 2023.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, on August 9, 2022, a package weighing approximately 29 pounds was sent from “Karen Boothe” of “Caliber Consulting LLC” in Buena Park, California, to “Universal Medical Inc” at 3401 North Broad Street, Suite 101, in Philadelphia, which is the address for Temple Hospital.

A FedEx Express driver, J.H., was delivering packages to Temple Hospital on the morning of August 10, 2022. J.H. began receiving phone calls and text messages from a former FedEx Express employee, P.A., asking for a package addressed to “Universal Medical Inc” at Temple Hospital.

After J.H. arrived at the Temple Hospital loading dock, P.A. met him there and asked him again for the package addressed to “Universal Medical Inc.” J.H. told P.A. he could not give him the package. P.A. continued asking for it, even offering J.H. $5,000 in exchange. J.H. refused and called his supervisors.

J.H.’s supervisors, R.J. and D.J., arrived at the Temple Hospital loading dock driving a FedEx van. They took the package P.A. was asking for onto their FedEx van, told J.H. to do his next round of deliveries at Shriner’s Children’s Hospital, which is right next to Temple Hospital.

D.J. saw a black Jeep Cherokee come out of the Temple Hospital loading dock and follow the FedEx truck. P.A. then approached D.J. and asked her if he could have the package that he had asked J.H. for; she told him that he could not.

After finishing his deliveries at Shriners, J.H. drove his FedEx truck south on Broad Street towards the FedEx distribution center at 3600 Grays Ferry Avenue, with D.J. and R.J. following behind in their FedEx van. The black Jeep Cherokee that D.J. had seen continued following J.H.’s FedEx delivery truck.

At a red light about a block from the FedEx facility, the black Jeep, driven by defendant Dixon, pulled in front of the FedEx truck. Defendant Byrd got out of the passenger side of the Jeep, pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at J.H., and approached the driver’s side of the FedEx truck. J.H. jumped out of the passenger side door and ran into oncoming traffic, heading toward the FedEx facility.

Byrd climbed into the FedEx truck and drove westbound across the Grays Ferry Bridge before pulling over at 47th and Linmore in Southwest Philadelphia, with Dixon following him in the Jeep. Byrd tried to open the back of the FedEx truck but could not, so he abandoned the FedEx vehicle and got back into the Jeep, which fled the scene.

After the carjacking, a trained narcotics K9 alerted to the package that P.A. had been asking for and investigators obtained a search warrant. Inside were nine individual packages wrapped in plastic and labeled “DSQUARED2,” each of which weighed approximately one kilogram and field-tested positive for cocaine. Lab testing later confirmed that the packages contained a total of approximately 9.005 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $500,000.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on September 29.

Byrd faces a mandatory minimum term of 22 years’ imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release, and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison and a $20,500,000 fine.

Dixon faces a mandatory minimum term of seven years’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison and a $500,000 fine.

“When their original scheme to retrieve the package went awry, Byrd and Dixon turned to Plan B,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “They were so determined to get their hands on that cocaine that they stalked and carjacked a FedEx truck at gunpoint, in broad daylight on a busy Philadelphia street. They’ve endangered our community with both their drugs and their guns, and today’s verdict holds them accountable, ensuring each a lengthy stay in federal prison.”

“The brazen acts at the heart of this case — from violent carjackings to plotting the distribution of dangerous drugs — put our citizens directly in harm’s way,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office. “These convictions underscore the power of collaboration in confronting violent crime and protecting our communities. We’re grateful for the steadfast commitment of our partners in the Violent Crimes Task Force, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. Together, we remain resolute in our mission to keep the public safe.”

The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Bowerman and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Lanni.