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Five men arrested on Ohio Turnpike in November indicted on identity fraud and other charges
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
The five men arrested during a traffic stop on the Ohio Turnpike in November that turned up suspected marijuana, cash and items frequently used to make fake identification and credit cards were indicted Tuesday on identity fraud and other charges.
They are Zakaria O. Warsame, 35, of Columbus; Mohammeddeq M. Hassan, 27, of Tukwila, Wash.; Mohamed A. Mahamoud, 26, of Columbus; Jibril M. Abdiselam, 24, of Seattle; and Said S. Abu, 24, of Columbus.
The indictments, handed down in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, charge Warsame with two counts of complicity to identity fraud and one count of possessing criminal tools.
Hassan is indicted on forgery of identification cards, two counts of complicity to identity fraud and two counts of possessing criminal tools.
Mahamoud is indicted on two counts of forgery, two counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of complicity to identity fraud, and one count of possessing criminal tools.
Abdiselam is indicted on four counts of forgery, two counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of complicity to identity fraud and one count of possessing criminal tools.
Abu is indicted on two counts of forgery, two counts of complicity to identity fraud, one count of receiving stolen property and one count of possessing criminal tools.
All five are due for arraignment at 11 a.m. Tuesday before Judge Andrew Logan. All were released on bond within several days after their last court date.
The five were arrested during a Nov. 12 traffic stop in Braceville Township by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The trooper said he stopped the car because of two driving violations. He smelled marijuana, which led to a search of the car.
The traffic stop took place one day before the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. The topic of the men’s citizenship came up a couple of times at their preliminary hearing in Newton Falls Muncipal Court, with the attorney for Abu declaring that Abu is a “citizen of the United States.”
And, Newton Falls Law Director A. Joseph Fritz said he had learned that at least three of the men, and possibly all five, are American citizens.