Saleem Abdul Rasheed Sentenced for Food Stamp Fraud and Filing False Immigration Documents

BIRMINGHAM—A federal judge today sentenced a Bessemer man and former high school teacher and coach to eight months in prison, followed by eight months of home detention, for food stamp fraud and falsely claiming a woman as his wife on immigration forms, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Maley, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer, Jr.

U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre sentenced Saleem Abdul Rasheed, 31, on the fraud and false statement charges, which he pleaded guilty to in March. Rasheed has paid $5,551 in restitution to the government. Judge Bowdre fined him $500 and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence and home detention.

Rasheed, a former University of Alabama and NFL football player, has taught or coached in both the Jefferson County and Birmingham school systems.

In his guilty plea, Rasheed acknowledged that on April 2, 2010, he signed a Department of Homeland Security form I-751, a Petition to Remove Conditions of Residence, for a woman whom he claimed to be his wife. Rasheed was, however, legally married to another woman. Rasheed also pleaded guilty to receiving $5,551 in Family and Food Assistance from October 2009 until April 2010 while claiming that he was unemployed. He was, however, working as a teacher for the Jefferson County Board of Education during that time.

Rasheed was released on bond following his guilty plea in March. His bond was revoked, and he was returned to federal custody after he was arrested April 14 on state charges that he had sexual contact with two female students while he was working as a teacher and coach at Woodlawn High School in the Birmingham City School System.

The FBI and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael W. Whisonant prosecuted the case.