Hakeem Abdul-Shaheed (born Robert Edward Molley on March 4, 1959), also known as Midget Molley, is an American convicted

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by ...

and

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

leader. He acquired the nickname '

Midget Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of ca ...

' from his family, in reference to his short height. He stands at 5'2".

Early life

Robert "Midget" Molley was born on March 4, 1959 in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

to Benjamin Franklin Molley, a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

pastor, and Helen Louise Molley. He was the ninth of twelve children. The family was religious and strict and Robert would often have to listen to family sermons late into the night. Midget Molley's father died of a brain tumor in 1969, obliging his mother to seek work in local hotels, away from the home where six of the Molley children still lived. Around the age of six, family members noticed that Robert was not growing at the normal rate as kids his age, thus they began joking by referring to him as a midget. The title stuck and Robert became known as Midget Molley. He reached an adult height of . In 1976, Midget Molley became a member of the

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...

, under the national leadership of Wallace D.Muhammad. He belonged to Temple #10, located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the Nation of Islam he was known as Brother Robert 8X. He subsequently changed his name to Hakeem Ali Abdul-Shaheed to reflect the path the Nation of Islam had taken after the death of

Elijah Muhammad Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole; October 7, 1897 – February 25, 1975) was an African American religious leader, black separatist, and self-proclaimed Messenger of Allah, who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until his de ...

1980s

In 1980, Molley was convicted for attempted murder and was sentenced to serve ten years at

Bayside State Prison Bayside State Prison (BSP) is a state prison for men located in Leesburg, Maurice River Township, New Jersey. The prison was originally the Leesburg State Prison. In 1988, the prison was renamed to "Bayside State Prison." Some Leesburg residen ...

. He was released after serving six years. Abdul-Shaheed was released and had returned to drug dealing by September 1986. He began trading cocaine supplied by Angel Diaz-Rivera and his wife Gloria, members of Colombia's notorious Medellin cartel of cocaine distributors. Abdul-Shaheed ran a three-member cocaine dealing operation with Victor "Shorty" Fernandez, a Dominican man, and Lucy "Luz" Bertone, a Puerto Rican woman. Each of the three received 600 kilos of cocaine per shipment. Bertone and Fernandez dealt in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, New York, while Abdul-Shaheed distributed his drugs in New Jersey, Syracuse, New York, Washington, DC, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. Hakeem Abdul Shaheed (aka Robert E. Molley or Midget Molley), and most of its 60 some members were believed to be

Five Percenters 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awar ...

. Shaheed, a resident of Atlantic City and

Vineland ''Vineland'' is a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan's reelection.Knabb 2002 Through flashbacks by its characters, who have lived the sixties in their youth, th ...

, called his group the ASO Posse and often flaunted his drug-financed wealth by wearing a gold crown valued at around $1.5 million.Afro-lineal organized crime
/ref> On January 1, 1989, Abdul-Shaheed walked into Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino Ballroom wearing his gold crown and surrounded by "his most trusted distributors." Law enforcement personnel were angered by this display of ill-gotten wealth.

1989 conviction

In February 1989 Abdul-Shaheed and 20 of his distributors were arrested after a seven-month investigation by the United States Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Abdul-Shaheed was suspected of two murders in Atlantic City, one in Syracuse, New York, two in Washington, DC, one in Maryland, and three in Atlanta, Georgia. He was convicted of none. In 1990 Abdul-Shaheed was convicted of being a drug king pin and sentenced to over 19 years in Federal prison under the 848 statute. The crown he had worn was never found, though federal agents have photographs of Abdul-Shaheed wearing it. Shortly after Shaheed’s arrest, several Jamaican drug dealers from Brooklyn

Jamaican Posse Jamaican posses, often referred to simply as ''posses'', are a loose coalition of Jamaican gangs, based predominantly in Kingston, London, New York City and Toronto, first being involved in drugs and arms trafficking in the early 1980s. Jamaic ...

moved into the Atlantic City projects to take over his territory.

2000s

In 2006 Midget Molley was released from prison, and he now lives in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. Abdul-Shaheed speaks with young people about "staying free of crime" and also acts as "an advocate for incarcerated Muslims". Abdul-Shaheed founded the nonprofit organization named "The D=Bear Youth Foundation", which addresses problems with gangs & gang violence, drug use & sales, and teen sex.

Books

In 2007 Ali Rob wrote a novel based on Abdul-Shaheed's life and times, ''The Myth of Midget Molley''. A later book also written by Rob, titled ''Resurrection of A Legend'', also explores Midget Molley's life.

References

External links

Hakeem 1959_births
American_drug_traffickers.html" ;"title="1959 births">Hakeem 1959 births
American drug traffickers">1959 births">Hakeem 1959 births
American drug traffickers People from Atlantic City, New Jersey People from Vineland, New Jersey Converts to Islam Living people African-American gangsters American gangsters Members of the Nation of Islam Criminals from New Jersey 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people