A senior clerk at the District Court in Nassau County in New York has confirmed to SaharaReporters that a bench warrant issued by the a district court judge with respect to current deputy governor of Imo State, Jude Ikechi Agbaso, remains valid and in force.??According to the Court Officer, Mr. Agbaso faces arrest on felony charges related to currency fraud if he attempts to pass through any US Immigration post. Our investigation revealed that Mr. Agbaso jumped bail in 1994 after United States law enforcement authorities obtained his arrest in a forgery sting.??In the devastating court records obtained by SaharaReporters from the Nassau County Clerk’s office in the State of New York, it was revealed that Jude Ikechi Agbaso and an accomplice, Eugene Harding, were arrested on June 20 1994 and charged with “criminal possession of a forged instrument in the first degree.”??The incident, according to the police and court records, began at 2 p.m. on June 20, 1994. Mr. Agbaso and his accomplice, Eugene Harding, were nabbed allegedly trying to defraud Abraham Straus Department Store on Roosevelt Field, Old Country Road in Carle Place. The store later became Macy’s Department Store in 1995.
The pair reportedly attempted to purchase unspecified merchandise using counterfeit $100 bills some of whose serial numbers were recklessly duplicated.
A grand jury which examined initial evidence in the case determined that Mr. Agbaso should be indicted for violating section 170.30 of the penal law of the State of New York.
The charges were as follows: that Agbaso, “aided and abetted by another, on or about the 20th day of June, 1994, in the County of Nassau, State of New York, with knowledge that it was forged and with intent to defraud, deceive or injure another, the defendant uttered or possessed a forged instrument of a kind specified in section 170.15 of the Penal Law which was a written instrument which was or purported to be or which was calculated to become or to represent if completed part of an issue of money, stamps, securities or other valuable instruments issued by a government or government instrumentality, to wit: US currency.”??At the time of the alleged offence, Agbaso, born January 23, 1958, resided at 112 Front Street, Freeport, NY. Mr. Agbaso held permanent residency status, and entered the US six and half years earlier, the records said.??Mr. Agbaso’s bail was set on June 23, 1994 at $10,000. The bail was posted by a female named Anna Laurence Levielle, described as his fiancée who resided at the same address.??Mr. Agbaso was granted a “conditional release,” which required that he report to probation as ordered, refrain from illegal behavior, appear in court on demand, notify probation of changes in address or employment, and answer all reasonable inquiries by probation.??However, on July 11, 1994, Agbaso failed to appear in court and Judge John Pessala issued a bench warrant for Mr. Agbaso’s arrest.
The bond posted by Ms Leveille was forfeited on August 11, 1994. On Dec. 30, 1994, Mr. Agbaso was indicted. His indictment number is 90454. The forfeiture was classified as felony No. 16117/94. Judge Claire I. Weinberg signed the indictment documents.? ?For each forged bill, Agbaso was charged with one count of fraud, for a total of seventeen counts. His accomplice was charged with six counts of fraud. Officer Kenneth Taylor of the 3rd Precinct was the arresting officer. He has since retired from the force. ??On April 10, 2011, the Imo State Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) challenged anyone to prove that Mr. Agbaso was guilty of jumping bail in the United States. The APGA official was responding to questions posed by Nicholas Ibekwe. The interview was posted on Next Community website.
Asked about claims that Mr. Agbaso, who is a younger brother of a one-time gubernatorial candidate, was a fugitive in the United States, the APGA state chairman went on the attack, vouching for Mr. Agbaso’s integrity. “I know Jude Agbaso. I know he is not a criminal. If there is an allegation against him, they should prove it. Now that they have gone to the court, let the court decide.”
Asked further if the allegations of Mr. Agbaso’s fugitive past could not hurt his party’s campaign, the APGA chieftain refused to back down. Instead, he stated that “people say all sorts of things. There was a propaganda some time ago that Rochas belonged to the Ogboni Secret Society. Why didn’t they say it all along? He has been screened. I screened them; my committee screened them, and the SSS screened them. So if all this processes took place, how do you get your information? Okay, go to a court of law and let it be proved.”??Meanwhile, an Owerri Federal High Court presided over by Justice Folashade Olubanjo granted Mr. Agbaso permission to run for office, after Mr. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, filed a motion on behalf of Mr. George Egu.??At the height of the controversy, APGA chiefs openly lied to Imo citizens that Mr. Jude Agbaso traveled to the United States and returned without any incident. SaharaReporters did not find any evidence that Mr. Agbaso has visited the United States since he fled justice in 1994.
Author: Chief Editor
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