26 | DECEMBER 22 • 2022
O
n Dec. 15, the U.S. Department
of Justice charged Hassan Chokr
with a federal criminal complaint
of lying on a federal firearms form when
he sought to buy a shotgun, a rifle and a
semi-automatic pistol, U.S. Attorney Dawn N.
Ison said. Chokr is also charged in Oakland
County with ethnic intimidation for harass-
ing preschoolers, parents and others outside
Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.
Chokr allegedly attempted to purchase
these weapons hours after being stopped
and questioned by Bloomfield Township
Police and posted on Instagram a film
he made of himself saying his Second
Amendment rights had been taken away.
If convicted, Chokr faces a maximum of
10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The defendant, 35, of Dearborn, is
charged with attempting to purchase three
firearms on Dec. 2 at a federal firearms
licensee in Dearborn. In seeking to make
the purchases, Chokr filled out a federal
firearms form on which he falsely claimed
that he had not been previously convicted
of a felony. He also falsely claimed that there
were no felony charges currently pending
against him.
Chokr was convicted in 2017
of Felony Financial Transaction
Device – Stealing/Retaining Without
Consent. He also has a charge of
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
(Felonious Assault) currently pend-
ing against him in state court.
After Chokr submitted the fire-
arms form at the gun store, his purchase
was denied by the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System (NICS) and the
firearms were not transferred to Chokr. The
three weapons that Chokr sought to pur-
chase were a Landor Arms 12-gauge shot-
gun; a Del-ton 5.56mm rifle; and a Glock
9mm semi-automatic pistol.
Chokr was also charged by the Oakland
County Prosecutor’s Office with ethnic
intimidation based on his conduct outside
of Temple Beth El on Dec. 2.
Jennifer Arkin Camens of West
Bloomfield, an attorney and a former assis-
tant prosecutor in Wayne County, said lying
on a federal firearms form is the easiest
charge to prove with the highest penalty and
a charge that will more readily stick than the
ethnic intimidation charge given by
the Oakland County Prosecutor’s
office.
“With respect to ethnic intim-
idation, it is considered a high
misdemeanor/felony with a two-
year maximum penalty,
” explained
Camens, 51. “The federal charges
have a 10-year penalty and is also
easier to prove. He has a criminal record and
had a case pending, yet he purposely lied
about both while attempting to purchase a
firearm. Therefore, not many witnesses will
be needed, just a certified copy of his crimi-
nal record and/or a certified copy of his case
pending and his paperwork to attempt to
purchase a weapon with his signature.”
Federal Charges Filed
Hassan Chokr
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
Celebrating one of the
largest gifts ever to Michigan
Medicine of $50 million, the
health system will name its
new hospital for longtime
philanthropists D. Dan and
Betty Kahn.
On Dec. 8, the University
of Michigan Board of Regents
approved a new name for
U-M Health’s 264-bed,
690,000-square-foot hospital
— The D. Dan and Betty
Kahn Health Care Pavilion
— to honor Betty and Dan’s
dedication to the University
of Michigan and the public
good.
“Patients and families
who come to Michigan
Medicine see their lives
changed,” said U-M President
Santa J. Ono. “We are deeply
grateful to the D. Dan and
Betty Kahn Foundation for
its extraordinary generosity,
which will enable us to
further develop and advance
the highly specialized care,
innovative research and
comprehensive medical
training that make our health
system so exceptional.”
The D. Dan and Betty
Kahn Health Care Pavilion
is scheduled to open in fall
2025. The $920 million
facility will include 264
private inpatient rooms
capable of converting into
intensive care, a top-notch
neurosciences center,
and specialty services for
cardiovascular and thoracic
care. It will also feature
20 surgical and three
interventional radiology
suites.
SPOTLIGHT
With the holiday season
here, The Zekelman
Holocaust Center is proud
to offer free admission to
The HC through the end
of 2022. Visiting Metro
Detroit’s cultural institutions
is a great way to spend
winter break, whether you’re
entertaining out-of-towners
or enjoying a staycation.
In addition to waiving the
admission fee, it will offer
extended programming Dec.
27-30: 10:30 a.m. - Docent-
led Museum Tour; noon-
Survivor Speaker; and 1
p.m. - Docent-Led Museum
Tour.
Zekelman
Holocaust Center
Of
ers Free
Admission
Michigan Medicine to Name New
Hospital After D. Dan and Betty Kahn
Betty and D. Dan Kahn/U-M Health