Burlington County Man Sentenced To 120 Months In Prison For Gunpoint Robberies In Passaic County

NEWARK, N.J. – A Burlington County man was sentenced in connection with his role in two armed robberies committed in August 2022 in Passaic County, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced today.

Kareem Powell, 32, of Willingboro, New Jersey, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court on March 20, 2025, to 120 months in prison.  Powell previously pleaded guilty before Judge Cecchi to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In the evening of August 22, 2022, Powell, along with accomplices Carlos Diaz and Edward Porter, robbed a Passaic bodega of several thousand dollars while pointing guns at a victim and threatening to kill him. Later that night, Powell, Diaz, and Porter also robbed a Paterson business of several thousand dollars. During both robberies, Powell, Diaz, and Porter wore face masks and ordered customers at gunpoint to lie down on the ground.

Diaz and Porter have both admitted their guilt and pled guilty in connection with the two armed robberies described above, as well as in connection with two additional armed robberies committed the following day in Passaic County.  Their sentencings are scheduled to take place later in 2025.

In addition to the prison term imposed on Powell, Judge Cecchi sentenced him to three years of supervised release and ordered him to make restitution to the victims of his crimes.

U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr., and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo, with the investigation leading to the convictions and sentencing.  U.S. Attorney Giordano also thanked officers of the Paterson Police Department and the Passaic Police Department for their work on this case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett Schuman of the Criminal Division in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Verona, New Jersey