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

