Liberty City mosque leader goes to prison for housing fraud

BY SUSANNAH A. NESMITH/MIAMIHERALD

* One cannot live on Muhammedanism alone…

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A leader in a Liberty City mosque was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for his role in a housing scam that stole homes from the elderly — and even from dead people.

Sameer Muhammad, the vice president of Muhammad Mosque No. 29 at 5600 NW 7th Avenue, was convicted earlier this year of nine counts of grand theft, forgery and using a false identification related to the scam.

Investigators said Muhammad, 51, and a partner targetted elderly residents with liens on their homes, registering fraudulent deeds to the homes and then selling them.

The partner, Carolyn A. Murphy, would file fraudulent deeds showing herself as the owner of the home and pay off the liens.

Then Muhammad would sell the homes through his real estate investment corporation, Bar None Properties, Inc., and the two would split the proceeds.

In one case, investigators found a deed a couple purportedly signed transferring their home to Murphy — years after they had died.

Murphy was convicted last year and sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Muhammad is listed in corporate records as the vice president of the Liberty City mosque at 5600 NW 7th Avenue.

Miami-Dade’s Inspector General investigated the case.

”These individuals represent the worst in our society because they prey on those that are most disadvantaged,” said Inspector General Chris Mazzella.