BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Rashaad Samuel, 31, of Buffalo, NY, with escape. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Tokash, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, in May 2018, the defendant was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara following his conviction on federal drug charges. On June 25, 2020, Samuel was released from the Pollock Federal Correctional Center in Pollock, Louisiana, and transferred to the Volunteers of America - Western New York Residential Reentry Center with a projected release date of October 4, 2020. On Sept. 26, 2020, the defendant escaped from the reentry center.
The defendant was captured by the U.S. Marshals Service on Feb. 22, 2021, following a slow speed chase that ended with Samuel crashing into another vehicle.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
