SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – A man who previously had been found
guilty in December 2014 by a federal jury of Possessing with the Intent to
Distribute Crack Cocaine; Possessing a Gun in Furtherance of his Drug Dealing;
and being a Felon in Possession of a Gun, was sentenced to a term of
incarceration in U. S. District Court in Syracuse. SHAEEM GRADY (A/K/A SHAHEEM
GRADY), 29, of Syracuse, NY, was sentenced to 75 months incarceration, 3 years
of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment of $300 by Senior,
U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., according to U.S. Attorney
Richard S. Hartunian.
GRADY was arrested on March 22, 2013, when Syracuse police
officers observed a baggie of crack cocaine in his lap as GRADY sat in the
passenger seat of a car illegally parked on Catawba Street. Police attempted to
place GRADY under arrest but GRADY violently resisted them while attempting to
gain access to the center console of the vehicle where a loaded handgun was
later recovered.
During GRADY’s struggle with the police he told the driver
of the vehicle to “pull off, drive away” while the officers were trying to
physically remove him from the car. Officers were eventually able to take GRADY
into custody. Later, as GRADY was walked to the Public Safety Building he
stated to one of the officers “I wasn’t going to kill you.” GRADY was
prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a 2002 conviction for Criminal
Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.
This prosecution resulted from an investigation conducted by
the Syracuse Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Geoffrey Brown. Further questions may be directed to Executive Assistant U.S.
Attorney John Duncan at (315) 448-0672.