New York man pleads guilty to unlawful cigarette smuggling

 MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Abrahim Yahya Kassim, 28, of Richmond Hill, New York, pled guilty in federal court today to unlawful cigarette smuggling, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.

Kassim participated in a cigarette smuggling operation designed to transport large quantities of cigarettes across state lines for redistribution and sale. The cigarettes were acquired in Virginia, where the tax rate for cigarettes is one of the lowest in the nation, and sold in New York, which has one of the nation’s highest tax rates. The cigarettes were possessed and transported in West Virginia.

Kassim pled guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Traffic in Contraband Cigarettes.” He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Stein and Shawn Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. Homeland Security Investigations, the Frederick County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Office of Attorney General, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the West Virginia State Police, the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation led the inquiry.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.