A New York man was found guilty on Monday of robbing rapper Safaree Samuels at gunpoint in 2018, stealing $180,000 in jewelry off the music star during a holdup in Fort Lee.
Tacuma Ashman, of Irvington, New York, was one of three men involved in robbing the North Jersey rapper, who appeared on BET’s “Love and HipHop.” The theft led to a high-speed chase across the George Washington Bridge as the trio attempted to flee with the rapper’s valuables, according to the state.
Following a trial in Bergen County, a jury convicted Ashman, 43, of the most serious charge he faced – first-degree robbery – along with charges of weapons possession and resisting arrest. He was acquitted on conspiracy charges and owning a handgun without a permit.
Ashman faces up to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 28.
Prosecutors said the men plotted the robbery weeks in advance, scanning Samuels’ Instagram account for pictures of high-end jewelry that he wore in public, including a watch, bracelet and ring, some valued at more than $40,000. Authorities also found a GPS tracking device under the rapper’s car, used to trace his whereabouts so the crew knew when to strike, according to the state.
The heist was masterminded by Shawn Harewood, child friend of Samuels in Brooklyn, prosecutors said. He later recruited Ashman and Carl Harry to act as his henchmen, knowing the rapper would recognize his face.
Harewood and Ashman were co-defendants in the trial, but a judge declared a mistrial for Harewood after his attorney withdrew from the case over a personal matter. A new trial date for Harewood is pending. Harry pleaded guilty in 2019 on a conspiracy charge.
In April 2018, the three targeted Samuels as he returned home to The Modern, a luxury apartment building on Park Avenue in Fort Lee, prosecutors said. Surveillance video from The Modern’s parking garage showed two men, allegedly Ashman and Harry, approach Samuels from behind and tussle with him. Ashman held the gun while they swiped his valuables and then piled in a black Escalade driven by Harewood, according to the state.
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Officers were on their way to the scene when they spotted a black Cadillac Escalade without license plates blocks away from the site, authorities had said. The Escalade reportedly sped at 80 mph across George Washington Bridge into New York City with police in pursuit.
During the chase, the Escalade crashed into a concrete divider at the Henry Hudson Parkway South ramp. Dashcam footage played during the trial showed three people bail out of the truck and flee on foot after the crash. Harewood was arrested that night near 144th Street in Manhattan. Police picked up Ashman weeks later in Newark.
Ashman’s driver’s license, cellphone and a red hat he wore during the robbery were found inside the crashed car, prosecutors said. Authorities also recovered Samuels’ wallet and jewelry.
Tom Nobile covers Superior Court in Bergen County for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from criminal trials to local lawsuits and insightful analysis, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: nobile@northjersey.com
Twitter: @tomnobile
