DEARBORN — A local police officer will be forced to stand trial after he was charged with operating a traffic ticket scam in the city of Dearborn.

From top left, counterclockwise, Ramirez, Hojaije, Charara, Nimer.

Dearborn officer Alex Brian Ramirez will face five separate felony charges, each carrying a penalty of five years in prison for his role in the scam, which targeted young Arab American males.
The plan was uncovered after cops found 50 traffic tickets in Ramirez’s car and 11 more in his house, which were all taken from inside a box at the Dearborn Police Department where officers turn them in.

Ramirez, who is free on a $20,000 bond, is charged with using his access to police networks to find people with extensive driving records who were one ticket away from heavier penalties. The scam involved at least three more men who contacted the recipients offering to destroy the tickets for a negotiated price.

Other co-conspirators are Hassan Hojaije, who already pled guilty to lesser charges and will avoid jail time, and Isoam Mahmoud Nimer, who has been charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Hojaije said he split the payments with Ramirez and received the lesser sentence in exchange for his testimony against him.

A third man allegedly involved in the scheme, Hassan , is still at large and is believed to have left the United States.

Anyone with information about Charara’s whereabouts is urged to call 313.943.3030.

The ticket that broke the case open was a $500 reckless driving citation given to a young man from Dearborn on March 9. The man told police that he was contacted about fixing the ticket for a charge of $400.

“We had a citizen come in and report that he had been approached in an unorthodox fashion to settle a ticket. Then we set up a sting operation and encountered the middle man Hojaije,” said Police Chief Ron Haddad.

Haddad said there are still more leads to follow in the case.

“It’s still a very active investigation.”

Haddad stressed that it was an isolated incident within the police department.

“Ninety-nine percent of the great men and women who come to work every day and do a great job just want to be responsible and accountable and don’t want to be painted with the same brush (as this officer),” he said.