FRIENDSWOOD, TX – A 49-year-old illegal immigrant from Lebanon has had an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer filed against him following his arrest earlier in August for allegedly sexually assaulting a female passenger in his vehicle while working as an Uber driver.
On August 6th, the Friendswood Police Department arrested Sameh Mohamad Chami under suspicion of taking advantage of an intoxicated Uber passenger he’d picked up back on June 28th. According to local reports, Chami had picked up a 21-year-old woman from Buckshot’s Saloon in Galveston, with the woman requesting a ride back to her home in Friendswood.
Luckily, the victim had shared her trip progress via the Uber app with her family, who were awaiting her return home, and the victim’s family became alarmed when they received a notification that her trip was finished but she hadn’t walked through the front door. The victim’s family was able to pinpoint her location using another app, where they reportedly stumbled upon Chami’s vehicle situated in a desolate parking lot.
When the victim’s family confronted Chami, he claimed the passenger fell asleep inside the vehicle. However, surveillance footage of the parking lot obtained by police reportedly showed the suspect exiting the driver’s side and entering the rear passenger seat of the vehicle where the victim was originally seated. Approximately one minute later, police say Chami and the victim exited the backseat and both moved to the front seats of the vehicle.
When speaking to police about the incident, the victim stated that she was fairly intoxicated and drowsy during the incident, admitting that she couldn’t remember much of what happened, but she does clearly remember “Chami putting his hands down her pants.” Further investigation into the incident revealed that Chami had allegedly been the one to intentionally mark the trip as completed, despite transporting the victim to an empty parking lot. Chami has since been formally charged with aggravated kidnapping as a result of the incident.
In light of the serious nature of the offense, in tandem with Chami’s lapsed immigration status, ICE issued a detainer for the Lebanese national on the same day he was arrested in Texas by local authorities. According to the agency, Chami had entered the country legally back in 2021 by way of a tourist visa with a granted extension that allowed him to remain in the country until December of 2022. However, Chami remained in the country illegally after his visa expired nearly three years earlier.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin stated following Chami’s arrest, “ICE lodged an arrest detainer against Sameh Mohamad Chami—a criminal illegal alien let into our country by Joe Biden. This depraved criminal was charged with aggravated kidnapping after he allegedly sexually assaulted a 21-year-old girl who was a passenger in his Uber car. President Trump and Secretary Noem unleashed our brave law enforcement to take down these sickos and to protect women from sexual predators.”
On August 6th, the Friendswood Police Department arrested Sameh Mohamad Chami under suspicion of taking advantage of an intoxicated Uber passenger he’d picked up back on June 28th. According to local reports, Chami had picked up a 21-year-old woman from Buckshot’s Saloon in Galveston, with the woman requesting a ride back to her home in Friendswood.
Luckily, the victim had shared her trip progress via the Uber app with her family, who were awaiting her return home, and the victim’s family became alarmed when they received a notification that her trip was finished but she hadn’t walked through the front door. The victim’s family was able to pinpoint her location using another app, where they reportedly stumbled upon Chami’s vehicle situated in a desolate parking lot.
When the victim’s family confronted Chami, he claimed the passenger fell asleep inside the vehicle. However, surveillance footage of the parking lot obtained by police reportedly showed the suspect exiting the driver’s side and entering the rear passenger seat of the vehicle where the victim was originally seated. Approximately one minute later, police say Chami and the victim exited the backseat and both moved to the front seats of the vehicle.
When speaking to police about the incident, the victim stated that she was fairly intoxicated and drowsy during the incident, admitting that she couldn’t remember much of what happened, but she does clearly remember “Chami putting his hands down her pants.” Further investigation into the incident revealed that Chami had allegedly been the one to intentionally mark the trip as completed, despite transporting the victim to an empty parking lot. Chami has since been formally charged with aggravated kidnapping as a result of the incident.
In light of the serious nature of the offense, in tandem with Chami’s lapsed immigration status, ICE issued a detainer for the Lebanese national on the same day he was arrested in Texas by local authorities. According to the agency, Chami had entered the country legally back in 2021 by way of a tourist visa with a granted extension that allowed him to remain in the country until December of 2022. However, Chami remained in the country illegally after his visa expired nearly three years earlier.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin stated following Chami’s arrest, “ICE lodged an arrest detainer against Sameh Mohamad Chami—a criminal illegal alien let into our country by Joe Biden. This depraved criminal was charged with aggravated kidnapping after he allegedly sexually assaulted a 21-year-old girl who was a passenger in his Uber car. President Trump and Secretary Noem unleashed our brave law enforcement to take down these sickos and to protect women from sexual predators.”
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