CAMDEN, N.J. – Two Camden County residents were arrested following their indictment by a federal grand jury for their alleged roles in attempting to bribe a witness to steal a gun from a car that was in the custody of the Camden County Police Department, pending the execution of a search warrant, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Anthony D. Parker, aka “Papa Smurf,” 37, of Camden, and Saidah A. Davis, “Sacha,” 41, of Woodlynne, New Jersey, were both charged by indictment with witness tampering. Parker was additionally charged by indictment with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. Both were indicted and arraigned in federal court last month before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen M. Williams. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Marie Donio conducted a detention hearing on Parker today and ordered him held without bail pending trial.
According to the indictment and statements made in court:
On April 14, 2021, a law enforcement officer saw Parker enter a gray Chrysler while holding a black firearm in his hand. Later that night, police conducted a motor vehicle stop of the Chrysler, and ordered Parker, the sole occupant, out of the car. A drug-detecting K-9 alerted for the presence of narcotics in Parker’s car, which was then seized and impounded in a Camden tow lot pending an application for a search warrant. Parker was released from the scene. During the morning hours of April 16, 2021, police officers went to the tow lot and executed a search warrant on the Chrysler, at which time they found a black Glock 9 mm handgun loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition hidden in a compartment behind the dashboard. Police officers also found approximately $8,000 in cash, packaged in a manner consistent with drug trafficking proceeds. At the time, Parker had at least one prior felony conviction in federal court.
During the afternoon hours of April 16, 2021, not knowing that a search warrant had been executed and that the police had already seized the gun and cash, Parker and Davis went to the home of an individual who worked at the Camden tow lot. Parker asked the employee if his car was still in the tow lot, and when the employee answered affirmatively, Parker offered the employee $2,000 to break into his car and remove the gun and cash. The tow lot employee refused.
During the evening hours of April 16, 2021, an unidentified male broke into the tow lot and walked directly to Parker’s Chrysler. The male attempted to open the driver’s side door, which was locked, and then broke into the Chrysler by smashing the driver’s side window. The male entered the Chrysler and removed a panel that concealed a hidden compartment behind the dashboard. Finding the compartment empty, the male exited the Chrysler and fled the tow lot.
The witness tampering charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. The felon in possession of a firearm charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Each count also carries a potential $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Driscoll in Philadelphia; the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer; and officers of the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gabriel Rodriguez; with the investigation leading to the indictment.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Harberg of the Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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