Police/Fire

Watertown Man Sentenced to Prison for African Sports Ponzi Scheme

By |

The following announcement was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts:

A Watertown man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for defrauding investors who believed they were financing lucrative sports ventures in Africa. Adrian Kawuba, 34 was sentenced by United States Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Kawuba was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $625,000, forfeiture of more than $2.2 million and to pay a special assessment of $400. In December 2023, Kawuba pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud. 

Kawuba told his victims that he would invest their money in short-term financing of youth sports ventures in Africa and elsewhere and that he would personally guarantee their investments. In fact, Kawuba did not invest any of the victims’ funds.

Police/Fire

Three Busted in National Prostitution Ring That Used a High-End Apartment in Watertown

By |

Three men face charges in a federal bust of a prostitution ring that used an apartment in Watertown and allegedly included politicians, high-tech and pharmaceutical executives, professors, doctors and lawyers. The court filing lists one of the locations used for prostitution was located in the Blvd & Bond apartments located in Arsenal Yards. Other places used by the ring were located in Cambridge, Dedham, Virginia, and California. Han Lee, a/k/a “Hana,” 41, of Cambridge, Mass.; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.; and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass., were arrested on charges of conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity, and face sentences of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Watertown Police had no comment about the investigation.

Police/Fire

Father and Son from Watertown Convicted of Lottery Scheme

By |

The following announcement was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice:

A father and son were convicted by a federal jury Dec. 9 in connection with a “ten-percenting” scheme in which they cashed winning Massachusetts state lottery tickets on behalf of the ticket holders to avoid taxes and receive tax refunds.    

Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, both of Watertown, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count each of filing a false tax return. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for April 11, 2023 and April 13, 2023 for Ali Jaafar and Yousef Jaafar, respectively. Mohamed Jaafar, another of Ali Jaafar’s sons, who was also involved in the scheme, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service on Nov.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Arrested for Fraud Related to African Sports Ventures

By |

The following announcement came from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston:

A Watertown man was arrested today for allegedly defrauding investors who believed they were financing lucrative short-term sports ventures in Africa. Adrian Kawuba, 33, was charged with one count of wire fraud. Kawuba will appear in federal court in Boston at 2:30 p.m. today before United States Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. According to the charging documents, Kawuba told his investors that he would invest their money in short-term financing of sports ventures in Africa and elsewhere overseas and that he would personally guarantee their investments. It is alleged however, that Kawuba did not invest any of the funds he received from victim investors.

Around Town

Boston Marathon Bomber Appeal Coming Up; Court Docs Show Brother Suspected in Waltham Murders

By |

The case of convicted Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be in court soon to appeal the conviction, and recently unsealed documents related to the case show that the FBI believes his older brother Tamerlan was a prime suspect in the killing of three men in Waltham in 2011. Dzhokhar’s appeal of the death sentence for his role in the Boston Marathon Bombings is scheduled to go before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Dec. 12. The Boston Globe reported that court documents unsealed before the appeal implicate Tamerlan Tsarnaev with the the killings of three men in Waltham — Brendan Mess, 25, Erik H. Weissman, 31, and Raphael M. Teken, 37. Tamerlan died after the shootout with Watertown Police at the intersection of Dexter Avenue and Laurel Street.

Around Town

Letter from Nobel Winner Malala Helps Watertown Man Avoid Jail Time

By |

The Nobel Prize Medal

A Watertown man convicted of tax fraud avoided jail time in part due to a letter on his behalf from Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. Burnham Ud Din, 50, of Watertown, was sentenced to 500 hours of community service and to pay a $140,372 fine for his involvement with a scheme to not pay taxes for two fried chicken restaurants — Kennedy Fried Chicken in Roxbury and Crown Fried Chicken in Chelsea. Federal prosecutors had sought a year in jail and a $212,224.01 fine to repay the withheld taxes. The sentence was handed down on Nov. 7 by Boston Federal District Court Judge Judge George A. O’Toole, who took into account letters in support of Din, including one from Yousafzai, according to a post on Universal Hub.

Federal Court

Watertown Man, Restaurant Owner Sentenced by Federal Judge

By |

The following announcement was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Massachusetts:

A former owner of restaurants in Boston and Chelsea was sentenced Thursday, Nov. 7 in federal court in Boston for tax fraud convictions. Burhan Ud Din, 50, of Watertown, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to three years of probation, 500 hours of community service and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $140,372 in back taxes. In August 2019, Din was convicted by a federal jury of six counts of willful failure to collect and pay over tax. From 2009 to 2013, Din defrauded the government and avoided paying payroll taxes owed by fried chicken restaurants located in Chelsea, downtown Boston and Jamaica Plain.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Found Guilty of Tax Fraud by Federal Court Jury

By |

The following information was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts:

A former owner of restaurants in Boston and Chelsea was convicted today by a federal jury in Boston of tax fraud.  

Burhan Ud Din, 50, of Watertown, was convicted following a week-long jury trial of six counts of willful failure to collect and pay over tax, which requires employers to withhold and pay to the IRS certain payroll taxes. Din was acquitted of charges of procuring citizenship contrary to law. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for Nov. 7, 2019. Din defrauded the government and avoided paying payroll taxes owed by a Crown Fried Chicken located in Chelsea and a Kennedy Fried Chicken in Boston in 2010.