S.J. Man Convicted in String of Armed Robberies in Camden County

A South Jersey man has been convicted in connection with a string of 2011 home invasion robberies that targeted small business owners across Camden County, Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo said Wednesday afternoon.

Keith V. Cuff Jr., 29, of Atco, has been found guilty of two counts of first-degree robbery, three counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count each of second-degree conspiracy and second-degree burglary and numerous weapons offenses. He is the fourth person to be convicted in the string of armed robberies.

He and Jerome M. Thomas, 41, of Lindenwold, were accused of carrying out a spree of armed robberies with the help of other men. Cuff was convicted on charges in three of the incidents, as well as a car stop.

Thomas was previously federally prosecuted and is currently serving a 15-year sentence for robbery charges.

Donte Goree, 29, of Camden, and Abdul Musa-Mansaray, 33, of Sicklerville, previously pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in some of the robberies.

Goree acted as the driver during one robbery. He was sentenced to five years in state prison.

Musa-Mansaray drove during one robbery and took part in the planning of another robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8.

While wearing masks, Cuff and Thomas broke into a Cherry Hill home and used zip ties to restrain two teenage girls on Feb. 28, 2011. They then held up the parents at gunpoint when they returned home. They tied up the parents with zip ties, stole cash from the home and fled.

On March 3, 2011, Cuff and Thomas confronted a Winslow man at his residence, hit the victim over the head with a firearm and led the victim to the backyard. The masked suspects then stole the man’s cash and fled with in the victim’s vehicle.

The two men were stopped while driving in Gloucester Township on March 29, 2011. Thomas was driving, and Cuff was able to escape. However, he left his cell phone in the car and dropped two handguns nearby.

Police also found masks and zip ties in the car. Thomas was charged in connection with the traffic stop, but made bail shortly thereafter and was released.

Cuff and Thomas struck once more, this time at a home in Winslow Township on April 3, 2011. They restrained a man, his girlfriend and the man’s two children with zip ties and stole $60,000 from a safe in the home.

Federal authorities arrested Thomas in June of 2011. Cuff was finally arrested in 2012 following an investigation by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit.

At the trial, Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Shilton presented DNA evidence and cell phone records linking Cuff to the crimes.

Cuff faces a maximum potential sentence of more than 100 years in state prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28.