Timy Hakim
Pled To Diplomat Impersonation for Romance
Fraud Now Okere Sets Guilty Plea
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
SDNY COURTROOM
Exclusive, Sept 18 –
In the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York on September 9, 2021 a
detention hearing was held by
Magistrate Judge Steward D.
Aaron on Kimy Hakim, who was
arrested on August 6 in
Georgia and then spend a month
being transported to SDNY.
But there's more.
It emerged during the
detention - or, as it
happened, bail -- hearing that
Hakim was previously arrested
in Kenya. Inner City Press,
the only media in the SDNY Mag
Court, dug it up: "NAIROBI,
October 13, 2008 – An American
man was on Monday afternoon
charged before a Kibera Court
with trafficking cocaine worth
about Sh8 million. Timy
Hakim who was arrested on
Sunday at Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport as he
was boarding a plane heading
for Italy appeared before
Kibera Chief Magistrate,
Maureen Odera and denied
trafficking in 1.9 kilograms
of cocaine. His lawyer
Cliff Ombetta applied for
bail, but the prosecution
objected claiming Mr Hakim
might abscond."
In fact, it
seems he did. Mr. Hakim,
described as of Lebanese
descent and having grown up in
Senegal, is listed as having
businesses in Benin
and well as South
Africa - and with
getting a COVID Paycheck
Protection Program loan of
over $20,000, here.
That's not the charge, though.
The
Assistant US Attorney,
mentioning not PPP but wire
fraud and money laundering,
urged the detention of Timy
Hakim.
But Hakim's
Federal Defender Ian Marcus
Amelkin said he makes music
videos for "African artists"
and could live with his
parents in Dearborn, Michigan.
Jump
cut to May 13, 2022 when the
September 19 trial date
slipped, on the request of the
Federal Defender(s) citing
another trial before Judge
Alkin K. Hellerstein. Judge
Liman asked why this one was,
in essence, taking a back seat
to the other, which apparently
involved a misdemeanor offer
and a rejected non prosecution
agreement.Ultimately, a fixed
and final date was agreed to:
December 5.
On October 18,
this: "NOTICE OF HEARING as to
Timy Hakim. A Change of Plea
Hearing is scheduled for
October 24, 2022 at 2:00 PM in
Courtroom 15C, 500 Pearl
Street, New York, NY 10007
before Judge Lewis J. Liman."
And on October
19, music videographer and
more Timy Hakim was OK-ed for
publicly funded travel to his
guilty plea.
On October 24,
Inner City Press went to cover
Timy Hakim's guilty plea.
There was no one else in the
gallery. Hakim admitted that
he had impersonated a
diplomat; then it was
specified this was in
connection with a romance
scam. (There were also
business enterprise schemes
and a lottery scheme). His
able Federal Defender pushed
off sentencing until June 7 at
11 am to allow back surgery in
February 2023; he noted that
the Marshals are NOT paying
for Hakim's return flight to
Michigan.
Judge Liman said the
statute doesn't allow for
payment for such return
flights, and asked for any
case law to the contrary.
Strangely, Hakim has agreed to
over $600,000 in forfeiture.
Nearly a year
passed, when on September 22
the US Attorney's Office filed
an amended sentencing memo
asking for a sentencing within
the 37 to 46 month guideline,
citing the destructive impact
on 15 victims.
Jump cut again to
January 26, 2024 - Hakim was
still not in jail, now asking
for delay in surrender until
September 16, 2024. The letter
request has redactions. On a
court call that was public,
and that Inner City Press
which has covered the case
called into, a more detailed
letter was requested. After
it, Judge Liman gave some but
not all of the requested
delay: "ENDORSED LETTER as to
Timy Hakim addressed to Judge
Lewis J. Liman from Ian H.
Marcus Amelkin, Esq. dated
January 24, 2024 re: The
defense writes to respectfully
request the Court delay Mr.
Hakim's voluntary surrender
from March 29, 2024 until
September 16, 2024....
ENDORSEMENT: Mr. Hakim shall
surrender to the institution
designated by the Federal
Bureau of Prisons no later
than June 25, 2024. No further
adjournments. SO ORDERED."
On April 26,
2024, Hakim's application for
a bail modification was denied
on risk of flight grounds:
"MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to Timy
Hakim (1) denying [104] LETTER
MOTION addressed to Judge
Lewis J. Liman from Zawadi S.
Baharanyi dated 04/26/2024 re:
Bail Modification.
ENDORSEMENT: REQUEST DENIED.
The motion to modify bail
conditions is denied as
Defendant has not shown that,
if bail is modified, he is not
likely to flee. (Signed by
Judge Lewis J. Liman on
4/26/2024)."
On May 6, things
got more specific: no Disney
World: "MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to
Timy Hakim (1) denying [106]
LETTER MOTION addressed to
Judge Lewis J. Liman from
Zawadi S. Baharanyi dated
04-29-2024 re: 105 Order on
Letter Motion, re: Renewed
Bail Modification- Travel
Request. ENDORSEMENT:
Application to modify the
conditions of bail to permit
Defendant to travel to Disney
World is denied. (Signed by
Judge Lewis J. Liman on
5/6/2024)"
On August 23,
2024, Isaiah Okere was
extradited in, and Inner City
Press was there, thread:
OK - now at
extradition in case of wire
fraud which has included
diplomat impersonation by lead
defendant who already pled
guilty, living in Dearborn
Heights, Michigan.
AUSA: We seek
detention. Defense: We consent
with prejudice. [He was
extradited in at 5 am] AUSA: A
victim of this romance scam
has been urged to pay for this
defendant's lawyer
Judge: If
it continues to happen, it
could be a separate crime, of
witness tampering. AUSA: And
obstruction. Adjourned.
On September 5,
2024, Okere appeared before
Judge Liman. The Assistant US
Attorney quoted Okere's CJA
counsel about talks in an
advance stage toward reaching
a "resolution" - meaning, a
guilty plea.
On September 18,
Judge Liman set the change of
plea for September 24: "NOTICE
OF HEARING as to Isaiah Okere:
A Change of Plea Hearing is
scheduled for September 24,
2024 at 12:30 PM in Courtroom
15C, 500 Pearl Street, New
York, NY 10007 before Judge
Lewis J. Liman."
Back
on
April 8, 2022
Judge Liman
approved Hakim
being released
from condition
to attend a
concern in
Madison Square
Garden on April
28 with his
client, Nigerian
musican Damini
Ogulu a/k/a
Burna Boy. Burna
made murky
appearance at
the UN with
Deputy S-G Amina
J. Mohammed (who
backdated CITES
certificates to
send endangered
rosewood to
China - but now
has immunity).
We'll have more
on this.
Previously
in the nearly empty
Magistrates court Hakim had a
sort of mohawk dyed yellow,
and got a new blue Covid mask.
As of November
2019 in South Africa, this:
"Dear Timy Hakim, You walked
out without paying your bill
and refused to leave at check
out time. You inconvenienced
one of our arrival guests by
leaving your room 3 hours
late. Your childish and
hysterical display at our
reception desk was recorded
and we reported you to the
police for theft and damage to
our room. You are not welcome
back in this establishment nor
are your dubious friends who
have also been recorded."
Judge Aaron
returned from a session with
Pre Trial Services and said he
would release Rivera on a
$200,000 Personal Recognisance
Bond, to be secured by
$100,000 in cash or real
estate - which he clarified
could be the parents' home "if
there is enough equity in it."
Back on
October 12 he had not been
released, pending full
"perfection" of the bond - the
posting of the lien. His
Federal Defender asked
Magistrate Judge Netburn for
release, stating "over the
weekend, conditions at the MDC
deteriorated significantly.
Due to electrical work,
inmates were left with no
water, spotty electricity, no
hot food and a lack of
adequate staff at the
facility."
On October 13,
Judge Sarah Netburn granted
the request, and money to
travel: "TRANSPORTATION ORDER
as to Timy Hakim: it is hereby
ORDERED that the United States
Marshals Service furnish Timy
Hakim with funds to cover the
cost of travel between New
York, New York and Dearborn
Heights, Michigan following
the satisfaction of his bail
conditions, to travel on
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 no
earlier than at 12:30pm; and
it is hereby further ORDERED
that the aforesaid expenses
shall be paid by the United
States Marshals Service. SO
ORDERED. (Signed by Magistrate
Judge Sarah Netburn on
10/13/2021)." See also, the
strange case of US
v. Johnson / John Doe, here.
This case is US
v. Hakim, 21-cr-259 (Liman).
***
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