Tolbert, Everson, and Askew Acquitted in High-Profile Cleveland Extortion Case
Tolbert, Everson, and Askew Acquitted in High-Profile Cleveland Extortion Case
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BY ROBIAH DARWISH | August 11, 2025
Defendants in courtroom after hearing of their acquittal. 8/11/2025. Photo credit: Robiah Darwish
Defendants in courtroom after hearing of their acquittal. 8/11/2025. Photo credit: Robiah Darwish
CLEVELAND — A Cleveland jury on Friday acquitted Antoine “Chairman Fahiem” Tolbert, Austreeia Everson, and Rameer Askew of all charges in a high-profile extortion case that defense attorneys argued was more about mudroots activism than crime.The three leaders of New Era Cleveland, a community group known for its community engagement and care efforts, armed patrols, and neighborhood watch programs, were accused of trying to extort money from gas station owners last summer. After nearly a month of testimony, jurors sided with the defense, finding the state had failed to prove its case.State’s Case CollapsesProsecutors built their case largely on the testimony of gas station owner Ibrahim Shehadah, who claimed employees felt “like hostages” and that Tolbert threatened him during an August 2024 phone call. Shehadah admitted under cross-examination that he never actually spoke with employees about their feelings that night and that he never heard Tolbert demand money in person.Body camera footage also showed Cleveland Police Lt. Moore telling Shehadah that New Era’s protests and boycotts were constitutionally protected. “They can boycott and protest all day long,” Moore said. “That’s not a threat — that’s how you perceive it.”The defense further dismantled Shehadah’s dramatic claim that a bullet flew over his head during the protests, showing video where he walked calmly after the gunshot and only mentioned the supposed near miss a day later.Questions of BiasThe defense also questioned Detective Timothy Hannon, the lead investigator and an FBI task force officer. In an Aug. 8, 2024, bodycam clip, Hannon referenced Tolbert’s prior lawsuit against Cleveland police — a case Tolbert had won — before remarking, “This is great, now we have something.”Pattakos argued that the remark revealed bias and a vendetta against Tolbert, suggesting the case was built less on evidence and more on targeting a known critic of the police department.Hannon acknowledged under questioning that no charges of trespassing or firearms violations were ever filed, despite prosecutors leaning on those claims during the trial. The alleged extortion, he admitted, rested solely on Shehadah’s version of an unrecorded phone call.Defendants Speak OutThroughout the trial, jurors also heard directly from Tolbert, who defended New Era Cleveland’s mission.“Our focus is engagement, not to scare anybody, not to intimidate anybody,” he said in body camera footage. “We model the behavior that we want to see in our communities. We not asking nobody permission to keep our people safe. Period. You got a problem with it, take it up with God…we are not stopping.”He also described the violence that drives the group’s activism: “This is everyday for us man… everyday a shooting is happening, this shit don’t stop… and nobody cares… these killings are not getting solved… the care has to come from inside the community.”Everson, who was accused alongside Tolbert of intimidating gas station owners, maintained her innocence, with Everson telling jurors the group’s presence was about “protection, not profit.”Community ReactionSupporters of the three defendants, who filled the courtroom daily, shed tears as the verdicts were read. Many said the acquittal validated what they believed all along: that the case was an attempt to criminalize mudroots self-defense.Prosecutors left court without taking questions.For Tolbert, Everson, and Askew, the verdict brought relief but also renewed determination. “They tried to criminalize what we do every day,” Tolbert said after court. “But the truth came out. We’re here because the people need us. And we’re not going anywhere.”
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