In the fall of 2017, a business transaction in Queens, New York, turned fatal, leading to the death of 64-year-old Hani Kasem. The series of events began when Kasem's son, seeking to expand the family's wholesale distribution company, Garden Valley Distributors, accepted a loan from a man named Ppassim 'Big Sam' Elder. When the son was unable to repay the loan in full, Elder initiated a campaign of intimidation and threats against the family.
The harassment escalated on the morning of
October 23, 2017, when three men, dispatched by Elder, entered the family's Ozone Park business. The men, wearing dress suits, announced that 'Big Sam' had sent them to collect the money. An argument ensued, during which Hani Kasem's son was pistol-whipped, and Hani Kasem was shot in the head in front of him. The assailants then fled the scene in a black Nissan Altima. Kasem was transported to Jamaica Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
An investigation led to the identification and arrest of several individuals involved in the extortion and murder. Ppassim 'Big Sam' Elder, identified as the 38-year-old ringleader from Staten Island, was arrested along with several accomplices. These included Dwayne Ling, 55, Frederick McCoy, 52, and Wilbert Bryant, 54, all from Brooklyn. Another man, Mahdi Abdel-Rahim, 24, also from Brooklyn, was indicted for his role in the extortion.
The suspects faced multiple federal charges including extortionate collection of credit conspiracy, brandishing a firearm, and murder. In October 2021, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Ppassim Elder and Wilbert Bryant on charges of extortion, bank fraud, firearms offenses, and murder. In February 2023, Elder was sentenced to 202 years in prison, while Bryant received a 40-year sentence for their roles in the violent scheme that ended in the death of Hani Kasem.
