A former investigator with the Waller County District Attorney’s Office who used his marked police vehicle to escort what he thought was heroin and cartel drug money across state lines now will serve 10 years and one month in federal prison.
A federal jury deliberated for eight hours after a four-day trial before convicting Mohammed “Alex” Ahmed Kassem, 50, of Houston on Feb. 27 of attempted possession with intent to distribute heroin and money laundering. At his trial, the jury heard how the former investigator with the Waller County District Attorney’s Office escorted sham heroin and drug money across state lines.
Authorities say Kassem drove from Louisiana to Houston and Houston to San Antonio in his marked police vehicle on three separate occasions and was paid a total of $31,000.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani announced the sentence in a news release Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal ordered Kassem to serve 121 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
During the sentencing hearing, Rosenthal heard about the drugs and money Kassem transported and how he relied on public authority to excuse his conduct.
Kassem took the stand in his own defense and claimed he had authority to commit the crimes, maintaining he received implicit approval from the Waller County district attorney to conduct undercover investigations as part of his role there.
However, the jury heard testimony from his former employer that refuted the claims. The jury did not believe his claims and found him guilty.
“The sentence reflects the serious nature of the crime by someone sworn to be a public servant,” Hamdani said in the news release. “Kassem was willing to use his badge for his own financial gain. This was an important statement to corrupt law enforcement that you will be prosecuted if you go outside the bounds of the law and abuse your position of trust.”
During the trial, testimony revealed Kassem hid money in his bulletproof vest and disguised the supposed heroin in an evidence bag to avoid detection.
Also, audio and video recordings were presented of each transaction and related text messages. The news release said the jury also saw bank records of cash deposits made to Kassem’s personal account after each payment.
Kassem will stay in custody until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined later.
The FBI investigated the case with help from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Ferko and Heather Winter prosecuted the case.
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