Malik Kiell Forte, a 29-year-old resident of Fairburn, Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison for stealing prescription drugs valued at nearly $400,000 and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Forte was involved in burglarizing warehouses and breaking into delivery vehicles outside pharmacies around metro Atlanta.
"Criminals who steal prescription medications for profit will be identified, apprehended, and prosecuted," stated U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Our office remains committed to protecting vulnerable patients and punishing gun-toting thieves."
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown commented on the broader impact of Forte's actions: "Forte’s actions not only harmed the businesses he targeted but impacted the safety and costs for anyone who relies on these medications. The FBI will hold anyone accountable who looks to line their own pockets by harming others."
Between March 2021 and June 2022, Forte participated in the theft of nine shipments of prescription drugs from delivery vehicles parked at various pharmacies. Alongside co-conspirator Jaquay Joseph, Forte also stole pharmaceutical shipments from a distribution center in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The stolen pharmaceuticals included hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine among others. Agents found some of these drugs during a search of Forte’s home along with a Glock pistol in his bedroom—a weapon he was prohibited from possessing due to his felony record.
On July 2, 2025, Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. sentenced Forte to four years and nine months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty on February 5, 2025. He faced charges including conspiracy to commit theft, theft of medical products, theft of interstate shipments, drug trafficking conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation into this case with Assistant United States Attorney Dash A. Cooper prosecuting.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. More details can be found on the website for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia at http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
