Early Life and Criminal Activity
Assad grew up in Opa-locka, Florida, and his father was a police officer. He joined a gang when he was 12, describing it as "a graffiti gang", which later turned into a street gang. He spent six months in a juvenile detention center after a robbery. He later completed 9½ years of an 18½ year prison sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping which he started at the age of sixteen. While in prison, he converted to Islam and changed his given name from Alvin Burke, Jr. to Hassan Hamin Assad. Due to his past criminal record, Assad's visits to other countries on international tours are subject to permits and background checks for recent behavior.
Read more about this topic: Montel Vontavious Porter
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