JERSEY CITY – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that Yusuf Ibrahim – who continues to face prosecution on charges that he fatally shot two men in Jersey City, cut off their heads, and buried their remains in Atlantic County – pleaded guilty today to an unrelated armed robbery.
Ibrahim, 29, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Mitzy Galis-Menendez to an armed robbery that occurred in Jersey City on the night of Sept. 19, 2012. In pleading guilty, Ibrahim admitted that he shot a man in the foot with a handgun and pistol-whipped the victim while robbing him of his money and cell phone. Ibrahim pleaded guilty to all counts in an indictment charging him with armed robbery, aggravated assault and weapons offenses. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Ibrahim be sentenced to 15 years in state prison, including nearly 13 years of parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act. Deputy Attorneys General Vincent J. Militello and Jamie Picard took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.
Ibrahim also pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to a robbery charge filed by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in connection with a carjacking in Jersey City on Dec. 22, 2011. He faces a sentence of seven years in state prison on that charge, including nearly six years of parole ineligibility. The sentence for today’s guilty plea will run consecutive to that sentence. Judge Galis-Mendendez scheduled Ibrahim to be sentenced on Nov. 21 in both the state case in which he pleaded today and the county robbery case.
Charges remain pending against Ibrahim in connection with the murders of Hany Tawadros, 25, and Amgad Konds, 27, who were killed in the early morning hours of Feb. 5, 2013, in Jersey City. Tawadros and Konds were Egyptian nationals who were living in Jersey City. Ibrahim allegedly shot each man once in the chest with a .38-caliber handgun inside Konds’ white Mercedes C280, after abducting them in the car. Ibrahim allegedly drove the bodies of the victims to Buena Vista, where he disposed of their remains in a wooded area behind the unoccupied home of a relative, after stealing the victims’ money and jewelry. Before burying the victims, he allegedly cut off their heads and hands, and knocked out their teeth with a tire iron. He allegedly desecrated the bodies to hinder identification. After staying overnight at the relative’s house on Harding Highway in Buena Vista, Ibrahim allegedly drove the Mercedes to Philadelphia, where he abandoned it at a secluded location after setting it on fire.
An April 28, 2014 state grand jury indictment charges Ibrahim with two counts each of murder, (1st degree), felony murder (1st degree), kidnapping (1st degree), robbery (1st degree), and desecrating human remains (2nd degree), as well as numerous other crimes related to the murders and mutilation of the bodies. The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The indictment stems from an investigation by the New Jersey State Police, the Division of Criminal Justice and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. The U.S. Marshals Service, Philadelphia Police and Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance. #### |