A New York judge has sentenced a daughter of Malcolm X to five years' probation for stealing the identity of an elderly family friend to run up big credit card bills. Prosecutors say Malikah Shabazz made $55,000 in illegal purchases.
The 46-year-old North Carolina resident pleaded guilty and was freed from jail in June. She has to pay back the full amount stolen as part of the deal.
Prosecutors say Shabazz opened credit cards in the name of a 70-year-old Queens woman whose late husband was one of Malcolm X's bodyguards and was present when he was assassinated at the Audobon Ballroom in Harlem in 1965.
Shabazz's lawyer, Russell Rothberg, did not immediately return a call for comment Thursday.
Shabazz was born just a few months after her father Malcolm X was assassinated. She will be back in court on July 28 for sentencing and the judge indicated she would get five years of probation in addition to paying restitution.
