Monday October 23, 2023, the American agency Associated Press has revealed new information regarding the theft of more than 2 million dimes that occurred on Thursday, April 13, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. On the night of Wednesday April 12 to Thursday April 13, 2023, a truck driver went to the United States Mints, the federal agency responsible for printing American currency and recovered 750,000 dollars, approximately 710,000 euros, in 10 cent coins. The total weight of the load was estimated at six tonnes. The man had stopped in a parking lot in northeast Philadelphia to spend the night before reaching his destination 2,000 km away, in Miami, Florida. While he was sleeping, six men stole part of the cargo for the total sum of 234,500 dollars, a little more than 221,000 euros. Thousands of coins were found scattered across the parking lot.
Diversion of food and alcohol was also recorded
Federal authorities revealed to theAssociated Press Monday October 23, 2023 that video surveillance images from the parking lot had made it possible to confirm that the theft had been committed by six men dressed in gray hooded sweatshirts and armed with cutting pliers. They were seen loading the coins into smaller bags, which they stored in a waiting truck. According to the American newspaper Philadelphia Inquirer Saturday October 21, 2023, an indictment claimed that after the theft, thousands of dimes had been converted into cash at coin machines in Maryland, or by deposits at four different banks from the suburbs of Philadelphia. Investigators also established a link between the theft of thousands of ten-cent coins and a series of misdeeds committed against heavy goods vehicles passing through the region. Indeed, the criminals also allegedly seized frozen food, such as meat, crab and shrimp, as well as beer. Four men aged 25 to 32 are accused of criminal conspiracy, robbery, theft of public funds, in addition to other charges.