New information about the violent criminal history of the Philadelphia Black Panthers once again calls into question the Department of Justice handling of this racist hate group.

Records obtained from the Philadelphia Courts document arrests for assault, robbery, domestic violence, and drug dealing by King Samir and Jerry Jackson.

According to one of his victims, King Samir does more than intimidate voters with his baton. He beat the man in the head with the same type weapon he was seen brandishing outside of a Philadelphia polling place in 2008.

The beating, in 1995, was so severe the man was hospitalized and appeared in court with staples still in his head.

From the court transcript:

Q: Tell the court what if anything the defendant did

A: He hit me with a cane.

Q: What did it have on it?

A: Two D batteries


Q: Where were the batteries?

A: Wrapped around on top of the cane

Q: Is that the part he hit you with?

A: Yes.

Q: To what part of your body?

A: The back of the head, and I got hit in the jaw with a bottle.

Q: I notice you have three staples in your head, is this from getting hit in the head with the cane?

A: Yes

Samir (whose real name is Maruse Heath) plead guilty to simple assault and was sentenced to 2 years probation.

How could DOJ overlook this when they dismissed the charges against the Black Panthers? The Department’s trial team surely would have introduced evidence of the fact that Samir had beaten people senseless with the same type of weapon he used at the polls in 2008. Surely this was evidence that he was a true intimidating force.

In 1998, Samir broke into the home of his ex-girlfriend and beat and terrorized her. From her graphic statement to the Police:

I said I am calling the police and I dialed 911. I was giving the operator my information, that’s when he punched me in the face and told me to put the f*cking phone down. I dropped the phone. I picked up a paint pole to protect myself. He knocked the pole away from me. He grabbed my hair and dragged me to the stairs. He put me in a chin lock to stop me from screaming. I bit his fingers… He told Vera “I am going to kill this b*tch.” He grabbed my hair and pulled it out when I tried to get away. I ran to the front door and the cops were there.

Samir was charged with Burglary, Aggravated Assault, and Terroristic Threats. The charges were dismissed because his victim failed to appear at the trial.

Jerry Jackson’s first encounter with Police was in 1978 when he and another man stabbed and robbed a victim in Philadelphia. Jackson was convicted and sentenced for Robbery and Criminal Conspiracy, both first-degree felonies. Jackson has also been arrested and served time for dealing drugs in the same neighborhood where he serves as a Democratic Precinct Committeeman.

Since becoming infamous for intimidating voters, Jackson and Samir have taken to posting photos of themselves posing with handguns. See here, here, here, and here. A felony firearm charge can be brought against a convicted felon who is found in possession of a firearm, regardless of the intended or actual use of the weapon. Certainly DOJ must be aware of these photos. Why haven’t they pursued charges under 18 U.S.C. 922 against Jerry Jackson? Is he getting a pass on gun charges too?

This scandal is far from over.