FARGO – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that on December 9, 2022, following a three-day trial, a jury returned guilty verdicts against Sharmake Mohamed Abdullahi, age 31 of Fargo, ND, for Kidnapping and Attempted Witness Tampering.
On October 19, 2021, Sharmake Mohamed Abdullahi kidnapped an adult female at gunpoint as she was driving in Fargo, North Dakota. Abdullahi forced the victim to drive him to a bank in Moorhead, Minnesota where he forced the victim to try to take money out of an ATM. The victim was able to escape and take refuge in a Gate City Bank.
Abdullahi was convicted of attempted witness tampering for his efforts to influence and tamper with the victim’s testimony.”
U.S. District Chief Judge Peter D. Welte, U.S. District Court, Fargo, ND, presided over the trial. Sentencing date has been scheduled for March 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
“The FBI stands with it’s state and local partners across North Dakota and Minnesota in fighting violent crime. These partnerships continue to allow us to successfully investigate and bring prosecutions such as the case against Mr. Abdullahi,” said Acting SAC Jamie E. Rohrbaugh.
“The Justice Department has no higher priority than keeping Americans safe, and these verdicts are a product of the focus on reducing gun-related violent crime,” Schneider said. “I congratulate federal law enforcement and Assistant United States Attorney Richard Lee for successfully ensuring that justice was served in this case.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fargo and Moorhead Police Departments prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Lee and Trial Attorney Marihug Cedeño.
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