Twelve individuals have been indicted in the Western District of Tennessee on federal charges related to an organized cargo theft conspiracy targeting Nike’s North American Logistics Center in Memphis, according to a July 21 announcement by United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant. The indictments, recently unsealed, are the result of a multi-year investigation conducted by the FBI’s Cargo Theft Task Force.
According to court documents and the indictment, between July 2021 and June 19, 2024, the defendants conspired to transport stolen Nike retail products across state lines for resale. Investigators allege that at least $2 million worth of merchandise was stolen during this period. The indictment describes how defendants would identify desired products within the warehouse, affix shipping labels with predetermined destinations throughout the United States, and later retrieve and resell those goods.
The individuals named in the indictment are Roy Harvey Jr., Bereket Abraham, Jorge Cuellar (all of Los Angeles), Keith Cannon, Cadarian Mack, Julian Baker, Cortez Spencer, Roderico McClellan, Damon Johnson (all of Memphis), Joel Deluna (Chicago), Michael Perkins (Olive Branch), and Marquesio Robinson (Charlestown). On May 21, a federal grand jury charged all twelve with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property; one faces an additional charge for interstate transportation of stolen property. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Thomas L. Parker.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Memphis is proudly known as ‘America’s Distribution Center’, and organized cargo theft conspiracies disrupt and harm crucial interstate commerce and businesses here in West Tennessee and across America. In order to protect the critical economic and logistics infrastructure of Memphis, we will always aggressively prosecute those who threaten it.” Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office said, “As alleged, these twelve defendants stole millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise and sold those stolen goods at the direct expense of sellers, shippers, and buyers… Those who conspire to disrupt commerce and harm consumers will be met with a coordinated law enforcement response.”
The investigation involved cooperation from multiple FBI field offices including Nashville, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Assistant United States Attorney Lynn Crum along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Cohenmeyer from the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps are prosecuting on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee serves as one among 93 such offices under the Department of Justice; it handles prosecutions for federal crimes—including cases like this—and defends civil matters involving the U.S., operating from offices in Memphis and Jackson, according to its official website.
Authorities emphasized that all charges remain allegations at this stage; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.