STAFF REPORTS
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Abdul Rasheed, 36, of Rochester, NY, was convicted after a jury trial of escaping from federal custody. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Kyle Rossi, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that on March 27, 2016, the defendant, following a federal felony conviction in the Western District of New York, was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Rasheed served his prison sentence at United States Penitentiary Lee, located in Jonesville, Virginia. Near the end of his prison term, the defendant was offered the opportunity to complete the incarceration portion of his sentence at the Volunteers of America Residential Reentry Center, commonly referred to as a “halfway house,” located at 175 Ward Street in Rochester. After being released from USP Lee, Rasheed absconded and never appeared at the Volunteers of America. The defendant remained at large until he was arrested on October 29, 2016, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Pennsylvania authorities allege that, following his escape but prior to his apprehension, Rasheed shot two individuals, killing one, during an attempted robbery. He defendant is under indictment in Pennsylvania and is scheduled to go to trial on murder and other charges on May 29, 2018, in Allegheny County, PA.
The trial verdict is the result of an investigation by the United States Marshals Service in Rochester, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, and the United States Bureau of Prisons, USP Lee.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 19, 2018, before Judge Charles J. Siragusa who presided over the trial of the case.
