Last week the Superior Court Clerk of New Hanover County cut a check for $15,351.39 to Assata Shukar, aka Joanne Deborah Chesimard, a convicted cop-killer, fugitive, and one the FBI’s most wanted terrorists.
The county payment to Shakur was made as part of a long-sought land deal between a private LLC and descendants of the Freeman family that owned land near Freeman Park in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Under the terms of the deal, the Superior Court of New Hanover County helped negotiate selling prices for the Freeman heirs. The court also held the buyer’s cash in trust to pay out to individual heirs.
Assata Shukar, known to some as the godmother of rapper Tupac Shakur, was convicted of the 1973 killing of a New Jersey State Trooper. She later broke out of prison and escaped to Cuba, where she was granted asylum by Fidel Castro. In 2013, the FBI put her on its “Most Wanted Terrorists” list, offering up to $1 million for information leading to her recapture.
Read the stories here:
County court brokers land deal, cuts $15,000 check to Assata Shakur, one of FBI’s most wanted
County Clerk’s office says it blocked payment to FBI fugitive for decade, says FBI can seize money
Below, several of most important documents referenced in our reporting.
2008 Summons for Kakuya Shukar, daughter of Assata Shukar by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
When court proceedings began in 2008 – nearly ten years ago – the court sent a summons to Assata Shukar’s daughter Kakuya in Chicago, as well as to her aunt, Evelyn Williams, in Florida. At the time, court documents listed Assata Shukar’s location as “unknown.”
Assata Shukar assigns Lennox Hinds in Freeman Beach, LLC vs. Evelyn Williams, et. al. by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
Signed August 30, 2017, this appears to be Assata Shukar’s first direct correspondence with the court. Shakur identifies her residence in Havana, Cuba, and assigns Lennox Hinds to represent her for the acquisition of her share in the Freeman Park land deal.
Freeman Beach, LLC – 2016 Partition Sale Order by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
Eight years after initiating partition hearings, Freeman Beach, LLC, had increased its share from 70 percent to more than 90 percent and was prepared to pay out the remaining shares held by the Freeman heirs. The sticking point was Assata Shukar, a fugitive from the FBI who was given political asylum by Fidel Castro in the 1980s.
Allowing release of funds to Assata Shukar by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
January 3, 2018, motion for hearing on whether (1) Lennox Hinds (New York attorney) can represent Assata Shukar, and (2) Assata Shukar should be allowed to receive funds from the sale in the Freeman Beach, LLC.
Check for $15,351.39 to Assata Shukar by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
This check from the New Hanover County Superior Court to Assata Shukar was apparently the last part in the court’s involvement in closing a land deal between the Freeman Beach LLC and the heirs of the Freeman family.
Allowing release of funds to Assata Shukar by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
This motion was heard on April 2, 2018, by Judge Joshua Willey, a Craven County Superior Court Judge elected in 2016. According to the court order signed by Willey, “the Court is aware of no legal reason for the Clerk of Superior Court for New Hanover County, North Carolina not to pay the $15,351.39 to Ms. Shakur, directly or through her appointed power of attorney.”
Assata Shukar – Power of Attorney transfer by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
On May 27, 2015, Assata Shakur transferred power of attorney to her sister Beverly Goins. According to the document, Shakur appeared in New York County (Manhattan) to have the document notarized by Lennox Hinds. H. Clifton Hester, attorney for Freeman Beach, LLC, prepared and filed the power of attorney form with the Superior Court of New Hanover County. Hester said he was unsure of whether Shakur had entered the country, or if Hinds had traveled to Havana, Cuba, to complete the paperwork.
