Crime & Public Safety
Milwaukee man charged after alleged Facebook Marketplace car lures and robberies
Milwaukee police and prosecutors say a 24-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged in Milwaukee County after a series of alleged vehicle-related robberies that began in June. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging Amari J. Carter with kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery, armed burglary, false imprisonment and carjacking following an investigation into three separate sales arranged via Facebook Marketplace.
According to the complaint, the first reported incident began June 17 when a seller met a buyer to sell a 2011 Kia Sorento on West Capitol Drive. Prosecutors allege the buyer returned to the seller’s apartment the next morning, entered through a window armed with a screwdriver, forced the seller into a vehicle, and drove her to a Chase Bank branch where she withdrew cash at his demand. The complaint states the man then displayed a firearm, took the seller’s phone and left; the victim later identified Carter in a police lineup.
Prosecutors allege two additional incidents in September: on Sept. 18 a seller said a buyer produced a firearm during a test drive on West Capitol Drive and fled with the vehicle’s title (the car was later recovered; fingerprints on the title matched Carter), and on Sept. 20 a seller reporting from Roselle, Illinois said the buyer punched him during a test drive near West Mill Road and North 60th Street and drove off with the car; that victim and a witness identified Carter in a lineup.
The charging documents list the specific felony counts and statutory penalties. Court records note Carter denied the carjacking allegation during a police interview after being read his Miranda rights, and the complaint is the basis for the current prosecutions. The case is pending in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.