Hassan Abdullah, also known as “San,” 28, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to interstate travel with the intent to engage in dealing firearms without a license. Abdullah admitted to a role in a conspiracy to traffic over 140 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 17, 2020, Abdullah traveled from Philadelphia to Beckley with co-defendants Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh,” Derrick Woodard, also known as “D,” and Shyheem Woodard-Smith, also known as “Peanut” and “Nut,” and obtained firearms that were later sold for a profit in Philadelphia. Abdullah admitted to obtaining these firearms with the other traffickers from a Beckley gun store.
Abdullah further admitted to obtaining over 140 firearms with Jones, Woodard-Smith and Woodard from early 2020 until at least mid-2021. Approximately 45 of those trafficked firearms were recovered at crime scenes primarily in Philadelphia, and have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses.
Abdullah is scheduled to be sentenced on February 10, 2023 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Woodard previously pleaded guilty to interstate travel with the intent to engage in dealing firearms without a license. Seven other co-defendants have pleaded guilty to making false statements in acquisition of firearms, admitting to making straw purchases in the conspiracy. An additional seven individuals have pleaded guilty to firearms offenses related to the same interstate gun trafficking conspiracy.
“The illegal trafficking of firearms has harmful, real-world consequences both here in the Southern District of West Virginia and in communities throughout our nation,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “This office is committed to halting the flow of illegally obtained firearms and the violence they fuel. I commend the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the ongoing prosecution of this large-scale case by Assistant United States Attorney Negar M. Kordestani.”
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing.
Jones and co-conspirator Shakyrah Ross are scheduled for trial on November 29, 2022. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-46.
Original source can be found here.
