Haneef Palmer sentenced to 10 years in prison in Philadelphia dime heist, cargo theft

A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to a central role in a cargo theft ring that targeted tractor-trailers hauling frozen crab legs, TVs and coins, federal prosecutors say.

Haneef Palmer, 33, was sentenced to 121 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.1 million in restitution after pleading guilty to the thefts, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia said.  

One of the thefts in spring 2023 became known as the "coin caper" when millions of dimes were stolen from a truck parked in a Walmart parking lot in Northeast Philadelphia.

The April 13, 2023, theft left coins scattered across the lot. Police said the truck was hauling about $750,000 in dimes, and a group of thieves, including Palmer, got away with about $230,000 worth.

In the dime heist, police said surveillance video showed six men dressed in hoodies and armed with bolt cutters broke into the truck, then loaded the coins into bags and tossed them into a waiting truck.

The dime theft occurred around 6 a.m. Prosecutors said the members of theft ring would target trucks when they were unattended or while the driver was asleep in the middle of the night.

Twelve days before the dime heist, Palmer attacked and injured a truck driver who was hauling refrigerators, the USAO said.