Hakeem Abdul-Shaheed

Last updated
Hakeem Abdul-Shaheed
Born
Robert Edward Molley

(1959-03-04) March 4, 1959 (age 65)
Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names"Midget Molley"
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Conviction(s) Attempted murder (1980)
Drug trafficking (1990)
Criminal penaltyTen years' imprisonment (1980)
Nineteen years' imprisonment (1990)

Hakeem Abdul-Shaheed (born Robert Edward Molley; March 4, 1959), also known as Midget Molley, is an American convicted drug dealer and organized crime leader. [1] [2] [3] He acquired the nickname 'Midget' from his family, in reference to his short height. [2] He stands at 5'2". [2]

Contents

Early life

Robert "Midget" Molley was born on March 4, 1959, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Benjamin Franklin Molley, a Pentecostal pastor, and Helen Louise Molley. [2] He was the ninth of twelve children. The family was religious and strict and Robert would often have to listen to family sermons late into the night. [2] Midget Molley's father died of a brain tumor in 1969, obliging his mother to seek work in local hotels, [2] away from the home where six of the Molley children still lived.

Around the age of six, family members noticed that Robert was not growing at the normal rate as kids his age, thus they began joking by referring to him as a midget. [2] The title stuck and Robert became known as Midget Molley. [2] He reached an adult height of 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm). [2]

In 1976, Midget Molley became a member of the Nation of Islam, [2] under the national leadership of Wallace D. Muhammad. He belonged to Temple #10, located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the Nation of Islam he was known as Brother Robert 8X. He subsequently changed his name to Hakeem Ali Abdul-Shaheed [2] to reflect the path the Nation of Islam had taken after the death of Elijah Muhammad.

1980s

In 1980, Molley was convicted for attempted murder and was sentenced to serve ten years at Bayside State Prison. [2] He was released after serving six years. [2]

Abdul-Shaheed was released and had returned to drug dealing by September 1986. He began trading cocaine supplied by Angel Diaz-Rivera and his wife Gloria, members of Colombia's notorious Medellin cartel of cocaine distributors. Abdul-Shaheed ran a three-member cocaine dealing operation with Victor "Shorty" Fernandez, a Dominican man, and Lucy "Luz" Bertone, a Puerto Rican woman. Each of the three received 600 kilos of cocaine per shipment. Bertone and Fernandez dealt in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, New York, while Abdul-Shaheed distributed his drugs in New Jersey, Syracuse, New York, Washington, D.C., Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia.

Hakeem Abdul Shaheed (aka Robert E. Molley or Midget Molley), and most of its 60 some members were believed to be Five Percenters. Shaheed, a resident of Atlantic City and Vineland, called his group the ASO Posse and often flaunted his drug-financed wealth by wearing a gold crown valued at around $1.5 million. [4] [5]

On January 1, 1989, Abdul-Shaheed walked into Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino Ballroom wearing his gold crown and surrounded by "his most trusted distributors." [2] Law enforcement personnel were angered by this display of ill-gotten wealth. [2]

1989 conviction

In February 1989 Abdul-Shaheed and 20 of his distributors were arrested after a seven-month investigation by the United States Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. [2] [4] [6] Abdul-Shaheed was suspected of two murders in Atlantic City, [4] one in Syracuse, New York, two in Washington, DC, one in Maryland, and three in Atlanta, Georgia. He was convicted of none.

In 1990 Abdul-Shaheed was convicted of being a drug kingpin and sentenced to over 19 years in Federal prison [1] under the 848 statute. The crown he had worn was never found, [4] though federal agents have photographs of Abdul-Shaheed wearing it. Shortly after Shaheed's arrest, several Jamaican drug dealers from Brooklyn Jamaican Posse moved into the Atlantic City projects to take over his territory. [5]

2000s

In 2006 Midget Molley was released from prison, [2] and he now lives in Atlantic City. Abdul-Shaheed speaks with young people about "staying free of crime" and also acts as "an advocate for incarcerated Muslims". [2]

Abdul-Shaheed founded the nonprofit organization named "The D=Bear Youth Foundation", which addresses problems with gangs & gang violence, drug use & sales, and teen sex. [3] [7]

Books

In 2007 Ali Rob wrote a novel based on Abdul-Shaheed's life and times, The Myth of Midget Molley. [8] A later book also written by Rob, titled Resurrection of A Legend, also explores Midget Molley's life. [9]

Related Research Articles

Alfonso Caruana is an Italian-Canadian crime boss and member of the Sicilian Mafia who was the head of the Sicilian Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan's branch in Canada.

The Supreme Team was an organized crime syndicate that operated throughout the 1980s in New York City. Their headquarters was the Baisley Park Projects, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York. The leaders were Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and his nephew, Gerald "Prince" Miller. In 1989, McGriff spent 10 years in a federal prison for a narcotics conviction.

Rayful Edmond III is an American former drug trafficker in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s. Edmond is largely responsible for having introduced crack cocaine into the Washington, D.C. area during the crack epidemic, resulting in an escalating crime rate in the city which became known as the "murder capital of the United States".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán</span> Mexican drug lord incarcerated in a US federal prison (born 1957)

Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, commonly known as "El Chapo", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán is believed to be responsible for the deaths of over 34,000 people, and was considered to be the most powerful drug trafficker in the world until he was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Mafia Family</span> American criminal organization

The Black Mafia Family (BMF) is a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States. It was founded in 1985, in Southwest Detroit by brothers Demetrius Edward "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry Lee "Southwest Tee" Flenory. By 2000 it had established cocaine distribution sales throughout the United States through its Los Angeles-based drug source and direct links to Mexican drug cartels. The Black Mafia Family operated from two main hubs: one in Atlanta for distribution run by Demetrius Flenory and one in Los Angeles to handle incoming shipments from Mexico run by Terry Flenory.

Albanian mafia or Albanian organized crime are the general terms used for criminal organizations based in Albania or composed of ethnic Albanians. Albanian organized crime is active in Europe, North America, South America, and various other parts of the world including the Middle East and Asia. The Albanian mafia participates in a diverse range of criminal enterprises including trafficking in drugs, arms, and humans. Due to their close ties with the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria, they control a large part of the billion dollar wholesale cocaine market in Europe and appear to be the primary distributors of cocaine in various European drug hubs including London. Albanian organized crime is characterized by diversified criminal enterprises which, in their complexity, demonstrate a very high criminal capacity. In Albania, there are over 15 mafia families that control organized crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduardo Arellano Félix</span> Mexican drug trafficker

Eduardo Arellano Félix is a Mexican drug trafficker, brother of Benjamín, Ramón, Javier and sister, Enedina, all drug traffickers. The Arellano-Félix Organization, also known as the Tijuana Cartel, has been responsible for numerous murders and the smuggling of thousands of tons of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine for more than a decade. The DEA believes that the Arellano-Félix brothers were responsible for the numerous smuggling tunnels that were found in January 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Lucas</span> American crime figure (1930–2019)

Frank Lucas was an American drug lord who operated in Harlem, New York City, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly from his source in the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. Lucas boasted that he smuggled heroin using the coffins of dead American servicemen, as depicted in the feature film American Gangster (2007), which fictionalized aspects of his life. This claim was denied by his Southeast Asian associate Leslie "Ike" Atkinson.

<i>American Gangster</i> (TV series) 2006 American TV series or program

American Gangster is a documentary television series that aired on BET. The show features some of Black America's most infamous and powerful gangsters and organized crime groups. It is narrated by Ving Rhames. The series premiere, on November 28, 2006, amassed around one million viewers. The first season ended on January 9, 2007, and comprised 6 episodes; a season 1 DVD was released on October 23, 2007. The second season aired October 3, 2007; a season 2 DVD was released on June 10, 2008. In April 2009, A&E Networks purchased the rights to air seasons 1–3 on their networks. They can be seen primarily on the Bio Channel and the flagship A&E Channel. They can also be seen on A&E's Crime and Investigation Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeway Ricky Ross</span> American former drug trafficker

Ricky Donnell "Freeway Ricky" Ross is an American author and former drug lord best known for the drug empire he established in Los Angeles, California, in the early to mid 1980s. He was sentenced to life in prison, though the sentence was shortened on appeal and Ross was released in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azie Faison</span> American drug dealer and businessman

Azie Faison Jr., sometimes known by the nickname AZ, is an American former drug dealer and businessman from Harlem, New York City. He attained notoriety during the War on Drugs era as an individual drug dealer during the 1980s. His five-year reign as a drug kingpin ended in 1989.

Jeff Fort, also known as Abdul Malik Ka'bah, is an American mobster and former gang kingpin from Chicago, Illinois.

A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise.

The Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute is a United States federal law that targets large-scale drug traffickers who are responsible for long-term and elaborate drug conspiracies. Unlike the RICO Act, which covers a wide range of organized crime enterprises, the CCE statute covers only major narcotics organizations. CCE is codified as Chapter 13 of Title 21 of the United States Code, 21 U.S.C. § 848. The statute makes it a federal crime to commit or conspire to commit a continuing series of felony violations of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 when such acts are taken in concert with five or more other persons. For conviction under the statute, the offender must have been an organizer, manager, or supervisor of the continuing operation and have obtained substantial income or resources from the drug violations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfredo Beltrán Leyva</span> Convicted Mexican drug lord

Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, commonly referred to by his alias El Mochomo, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, a drug trafficking organization. He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords. Beltrán Leyva was responsible for smuggling multi-ton shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States from Mexico and South America between the 1990s and 2000s. He worked alongside his brothers Héctor, Carlos, and Arturo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Detention Center, Guaynabo</span> United States federal prison facility in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

The Metropolitan Detention Center, Guaynabo is a United States federal prison facility in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico which holds male and female inmates of all security levels who are awaiting trial or sentencing. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

Shaheed "Roger" Khan is a Guyanese criminal who was active in drugs trafficking, money laundering and arms smuggling. He trafficked cocaine from Colombia into the United States and used construction and forestry businesses to launder money. Khan was considered to be Guyana's most powerful drug lord. In leaked US embassy cables Khan's control over Guyana is compared with Pablo Escobar's erstwhile control over Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drug barons of Colombia</span> Colombian crime bosses

Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of the most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia. Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar, were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U.S. intelligence. "Ruthless and immensely powerful", several political leaders, such as President Virgilio Barco Vargas, became convinced that the drug lords were becoming so powerful that they could oust the formal government and run the country.

Kaboni Savage is an American drug dealer, organized crime leader, and mass murderer who is currently on federal death row for ordering the firebombing of a house where a federal witness lived, killing six people. He is the first man from Philadelphia in modern history to receive a federal death sentence. He has twelve convictions for murder in aid of racketeering, one fewer than the Pennsylvania state record, and the most for anyone in Philadelphia. Savage was the first person sentenced to death by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since the federal death penalty resumed in 1988.

Augusto Guillermo "Willy" Falcon is a former drug kingpin who, along with his partner Sal Magluta, operated one of the most significant cocaine trafficking organizations in South Florida history.

References

  1. 1 2 Marder, Dianna (January 23, 1990). "A Flamboyant A.c. Drug Figure Sentenced To 19 Years In Prison". philly-archives. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Midget Molley". Biography.com / A&E Networks. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 Suhr, Jim (2007-10-03). "The Midget Alleges Hate Crimes: A Very Questionable Claim". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Schurman, Mike; Gonzales, Patrisia (June 11, 1989). "The Downfall Of A Drug Kingdom In A.c." philly-archives. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Afro-lineal organized crime" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
  6. ↑ Staff writer (1989-02-16). "Raid on Cocaine Ring Results in 16 Arrests". The New York Times. AP. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "The D-Bear Youth Foundation". Midgetmolley.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Rob, A. (2006). The Myth of Midget Molley: Life and Love of a Kingpin. D-Bear Publications Llc. ISBN   978-0-9790048-4-1 . Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ Rob, Ali (July 19, 2010). Resurrection of A Legend. ISBN   978-0979004865.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.