Sarasota man gets more than 5 years for tampering with a witness
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
State Attorney’s Office 12th Judicial Circuit
State Attorney Ed Brodsky announced today that Kareem Abdul Crocker was convicted of Tampering with a Witness and thirteen counts of Violation of Pretrial Release in Case # 2026CF001688NC and sentenced to more than five years in prison. Crocker was on felony probation for a narcotics offense when he committed a domestic battery against his girlfriend on September 22, 2025. He was ultimately charged with the additional counts of Tampering and Violating Pretrial Release in the aftermath of the arrest on the domestic battery. These cases were investigated by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
The crime of Tampering with a Witness carries a maximum possible sentence of 15 Years of incarceration.
When the victim came to the State Attorney’s Office a few weeks after the battery arrest to sign a waiver of prosecution and recant her original allegations, this seemed suspicious. Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Lata notified Deputy Austin Van Camp that the defendant had been calling the victim from the jail in violation of the court’s no contact order. Deputy Van Camp quickly arrested the defendant a second time for numerous counts of Violation of Pretrial Release. The State Attorney’s Office ultimately added an additional count of Tampering with a Witness based on ominous jail calls made by the defendant along with an offer to pay the victim $2,000 to drop the case.
This case was a top priority even without the victim’s cooperation as Crocker is both a convicted sex offender and classified as a Violent Felony Offender of Special Concern.
The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Lata commented,
“This case reinforces that both the State Attorney’s Office and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office are committed to holding defendants accountable for domestic violence. I’ve heard so many defendants quote the old jail adage “No face, no case”, believing if they can scare the victim out of cooperating with law enforcement, their case will be go away. That couldn’t be further from the truth in Sarasota. We are committed to protecting our victims and the community as a whole.”
If you have any questions or would like further information please contact Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Lata in the Sarasota County office at 941-861-4400.
