Jersey City Man Pleads Guilty in Multi-State Warehouse Theft Conspiracy

Derek Spivey admits role in transporting stolen goods worth over $250,000, including Department of Defense laptops and luxury items

Derek Spivey, 37, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen goods across state lines, admitting his involvement in a coordinated scheme to burglarize logistics warehouses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in federal court, according to an announcement by Senior Counsel Philip W. Lamparello.

Spivey also admitted to violating supervised release conditions stemming from a prior federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon.

Federal prosecutors allege that from at least January through March 2025, Spivey conspired with Jamil Bethea, Jamal Reid, Rasheed Sharpe, and others to target warehouses storing valuable merchandise. The group is accused of stealing high-value goods, including approximately $50,000 worth of Department of Defense laptops from a Pennsylvania warehouse, $200,000 in high-end perfume also in Pennsylvania, and $20,000 worth of liquor from a New Jersey facility. The stolen items were then transported into and through New Jersey with the intent to sell them.

Spivey faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the value of the loss or gain resulting from the crime, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for June 1, 2026.

Spivey's co-conspirators—Bethea, Reid, and Sharpe—have previously entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency with assistance from the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.

The case reflects broader efforts by federal authorities to address organized theft operations that target supply chain infrastructure and the interstate trafficking of stolen goods.