Two Men Sentenced For Extortion Scheme Of Queens Business Owner: Feds

QUEENS — Two men were sentenced to decades in prison after an extortion scheme that left an Ozone Park business owner shot dead in front of his son in 2017, Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said on Wednesday.

Ppassim “Big Sam” Elder and Wilbert “Will” Bryant were sentenced to 202 years and 40 years in prison, respectively, for the extortion scheme that left Hani Kasem dead after months of threatening him and his family to repay a loan, federal prosecutors said.

Kasem’s son was unable to repay the loan that Elder had given him to support the family-run business because it had been used to buy merchandise, according to the charges.

Elder, from Staten Island, allegedly retaliated with several intimidation stunts, including a rock attack on Kasem’s home, Peace said.

Elder allegedly sent two other men to murder the owner of Garden Valley Distributors on Oct. 23, 2017, in front of his son, who was pistol-whipped, according to prosecutors.

Elder, Bryant, and other men were arrested at various locations in March 2018. They were charged with extortion and fraud charges, while Dwayne Ling, 55, and Frederick McCoy, 52, were arrested and charged with murder.