Witness Who Refused to Testify Convicted of Contempt of Court and Obstruction of Justice

Abdullahi Farah, a/k/a Grey Goose, age 23, of Nashville, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury of obstruction of justice and contempt of court, announced David Rivera, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Farah was found guilty of willfully and knowingly misbehaving in or near the presence of United States District Judge Todd J. Campbell; of willfully and knowingly disobeying and resisting a lawful order, decree, or command of Judge Campbell; and of knowingly and intentionally attempting to obstruct or interfere with and prevent the enforcement of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1591(a), the federal statute that prohibits the sex trafficking of children and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.

It was stipulated at the trial that Farah had material information regarding multiple counts of the indictment in the case of United States v. Adan, et al., including information regarding charges of sex trafficking females under the age of 18. On August 23, 2012, Judge Campbell ordered Farah to testify in a deposition for the purpose of obtaining his testimony for use at trial in the Adan case.

Pursuant to Judge Campbell’s Order, a deposition was convened on September 12, 2012, at the United States Federal Courthouse in Nashville for the purpose of taking Farah’s testimony regarding the charges in the Adan indictment. When asked if he would testify, Farah refused.

As a result of his refusal, Farah was taken before Judge Campbell, who found that it would be futile to hold Farah in civil contempt of court and stated that the United States could commence criminal contempt charges against Farah.

Farrah was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury for contempt and obstruction charges. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced at a date yet to be determined.

Farah’s case and the Adan case were part of a joint investigation by the St. Paul Minnesota Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Van S. Vincent and Blanche Cook.