Safaree Samuel’s childhood friend has been handed an 18-year prison sentence for robbing the Love & Hip Hop star.
According to NorthJersey.com, Judge Gary Wilcox sentenced Harewood on Thursday (November 3) for his role in stealing $180,000 worth of jewelry from Safaree in February 2018. But he was found not guilty of robbing Samuels’ companion, conspiracy to commit robbery, and weapons charges. His sentences will run consecutively rather than concurrently, per the report.
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The defendant’s sentencing includes the maximum amount of time possible for the eluding charge which is 10 years. He was given eight years for the robbery charge rather instead of the full 10 years. Harewood has already served four years and is required to serve at least 85% of the robbery sentence by law.
Bergen County Assistant Prosecutors Joe Torrie and Meg Kilzy expressed their gratitude to the judge and jury for the verdict on behalf of their client. “We are very pleased with the outcome and thankful that justice was served for Safaree Samuels,” their statement read.
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Brain Neary, Harewood’s lawyer, noted that sentencing can be complicated, “particularly when there are several counts and several defendants.”
“The test is if the sentencing is fair,” Neary said. “Mr. Harewood will consider the court’s calculation of his sentence and consider an appeal of the consecutive sentence.”
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Before the verdict was handed down, Harewood offered an apology to “all involved” saying that the robbery was one of many “bad decisions” that he’s “not proud of.” “These moments do not define me, and they’re not reflective of me,” he said in court earlier this week.
Although Neary pleaded for leniency because of Harewood’s children, the prosecution did not relent in making sure that he was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “His daughter is essentially an adult. She was 13 at the time of his arrest in 2018,” Kilzy argued.
“[Harewood’s] character is comprised of deceit, fraud, and untruthfulness,” Torre added.
Back in April, surveillance footage of Safaree getting robbed at gunpoint in a New Jersey parking garage surfaced. During an interview with The Angie Martinez Show, he revealed that he was robbed just hours before coming to the studio.
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“I just got robbed, two dudes with guns just ran up on me,” he said. “Had me face down on the floor with a gun to my head. They just took everything.”
Other parties involved in the robbery were Tacuma Ashman, a cousin of Harewood who was convicted of first-degree robbery, resisting arrest, and weapons charges last year. Carl Cherry pleaded guilty to conspiracy back in 2019.
