Trial of alleged mastermind in Fort Lee robbery of rapper Safaree begins: What to expect

Tuesday began the retrial of Shawn Harewood, the alleged mastermind behind the armed robbery of rapper Safaree Samuels in Fort Lee four years ago. Harewood is being retried after a mistrial was declared following his former attorney's withdrawal from the case due to a personal matter.

In a plea to jurors to see past the "magic show" given by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, defense attorney Brian Neary told jurors to find out what the reality of the case is.

The prosecution said Harewood masterminded the heist, recruiting his cousin and one other person to rob Samuels because the rapper would recognize his face. Samuels and Harewood were childhood friends in Brooklyn.

Samuels, who was on BET's "Love & Hip Hop," was robbed at gunpoint by two men, who stole $180,000 in jewelry.

Tacuma Ashman, Harewood's cousin, was convicted of first-degree robbery, weapons charges and resisting arrest in 2021 while his accomplice, Carl Harry, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in 2019.

Prosecutor Megan Kilzy said Harewood began planning the robbery weeks in advance with Ashman and that the prosecution had evidence to prove it. She said a search of Harewood's phone provided "significant information" of communication about the plan.

Text messages from Harewood to Ashman show conversations about the robbery, asking when were they going to do the robbery and for Ashman to tap someone he trusted to help. Harewood allegedly kept tabs on Samuels, placing a GPS device wrapped in a jean jacket in the wheel well of his car and Kilzy said there was application data that linked Harewood's phone with that device.

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During her opening statements, Kilzy said the first thing the robbers asked Samuels was where was his watch. The expensive watch was one of the things stolen that night and had been seen on the rapper's Instagram. Samuels featured much of the jewelry, including necklaces and earrings, on his Instagram.

"[Samuels] was robbed in the very place he thought he was going to be safe. In the Modern parking lot where he lived," Kilzy said, referring to a Fort Lee apartment.

Kilzy said Harewood was not only the mastermind of the whole robbery but he was driving the getaway car, a black Cadillac Escalade that belonged to his mother.

After the robbery, the driver of the Escalade led Fort Lee police on a high-speed chase after police attempted to stop it following an illegal turn.

The chase took them over the George Washington Bridge where the SUV eventually crashed and the three occupants bailed out, Kilzy said. Harewood was found hiding under railroad tracks. Items belonging to Samuels and Ashman were found in the car as well as the license plates that were supposed to be on the car.

Neary called Samuels a "grade C attempted celebrity" and called Samuels' demeanor when dealing with Fort Lee police a performance that "fit right into his quest to become a celebrity."

"If you know anything about 'Love & Hip Hop,' that's called reality TV, but it's not," Neary said. "It's all scripted. It's people who are trying to be something more than they really are."

Neary said when Samuels went back to the Fort Lee Police Department to give appraisals for the jewelry, his demeanor wasn't that of someone who was robbed.

'"He's not shivering, he's not shaking," Neary said. "It simply reeks of performance."

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He further pointed to an appearance Samuels made on a show with Angie Martinez, a well-known radio personality, the morning after the robbery. Neary said Samuels wasn't so shocked by what had happened that he couldn't do the show.

Neary said Harewood didn't know what Ashman and Harry had planned, that he panicked when he fled.

He implored the jury to ask questions and look at the circumstances surrounding the robbery.

"Don't be enamored or distracted by the notion of a reality TV star, a reality program and a reality story," Neary said. "Be real and look at circumstances and ask questions."

Kaitlyn Kanzler covers courts for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from criminal trials to local lawsuits and insightful analysis, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kanzler@northjersey.com

Twitter: @KaitlynKanzler8

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Safaree Samuels robbery in Fort Lee NJ retrial begins: What to expect