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Albany police finger local scam suspect in two separate cases

By Howard B. Owens

A Buffalo resident already under indictment for allegedly scamming a Batavia woman out of $2,000 is now facing similar charges in Albany.

Yusef Hassem, 69, is a suspect in two cases in in Albany in October 2007 and June 2008.

Det. Chuck Dudek said this afternoon that the Genesee County Jail received faxed arrest warrants from the Albany Police Department accusing Hassem of petit larceny on the first incident and robbery, 1st degree on the second.

In the June 2008 incident, according to Dudek, Hassem, a.k.a Louis A. Reed, threatened a woman with a gun after she refused to turn over her money.

In the Genesee County case, Hassem is accused of tricking a woman into handing over $2,000, saying he needed help with a financial transaction at Tonawanda Federal Credit Union.

Albany Police used the surveillance photo from that alleged incident to connect Hassem to the alleged crimes in Albany.

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