STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— A Port Richmond man who allegedly violated his parole last year with a gun arrest was supposed to be sentenced Thursday. But instead, he threw the judge a curveball.
Allah Sears, 46, of Heberton Avenue, pleaded guilty in October to attempted possession of a firearm in connection with the charges. In exchange for his plea, and considering multiple prior convictions, he was offered four years in prison.
After multiple stints in prison over the past 25 years, 46-year-old Allah Sears is currently facing a felony gun charge, in addition to other open cases in state Supreme Court, St. George. (Advance/SILive.com)
Sears, however, informed Justice Mario F. Mattei that he wanted to withdraw his plea. Mattei advised Sears to think carefully about his decision.
“I could give you life,” he cautioned, referencing what could happen if Sears ultimately is convicted on the top charges. “But if you want to roll the dice, you can roll the dice.”
Justice Mario F. Mattei will either grant or deny a request from Allah Sears to withdraw a guilty plea stemming from a gun arrest last year in Port Richmond. (Steve White for the Advance/SILive.com)
Mattei adjourned the proceedings to Feb. 25 to allow time for the defense to file the motion. If Mattei denies the request, he could proceed directly to sentencing.
The defendant also requested a new attorney, claiming he was not adequately informed of his options prior to pleading guilty.
“He got you four years, but that’s fine,” said Mattei. “I’ll find you a new lawyer.”
Gun arrest near park 
Police arrested the defendant at approximately 12 p.m. near Heberton Avenue and Bennett Street in Port Richmond, court documents stated. Courtesy of Google Maps
On the afternoon of Feb. 27, 2025, NYPD officers observed Sears seated in the driver’s seat of a black Mercedes-Benz near Heberton Avenue and Bennett Street, steps from a small park in Port Richmond.
“(Sears) was alerted to law enforcement’s presence, quickly exited the vehicle and attempted to flee,” said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in a prior statement.
Police gave chase and apprehended the defendant, at which point they allegedly found a .380 Ruger Semi-Automatic handgun in his pocket. According to a criminal complaint, the defendant struggled with arresting officers.
Sears had been arrested twice in December 2024, just weeks before the car stop. Those cases were wrapped into the aforementioned plea deal.
Acquitted of murder, convicted in wiretap case
In 2000, Sears was acquitted of murder in the shooting death of a New Brighton man. He was found guilty though of a gun charge in the same case and received 12 years in prison.
Prosecutors alleged Sears, then 21 years old, killed the victim, Damon Henderson, 28, in retaliation for a failed attempt on the life of Sears’ older brother. The shooting unfolded in a parking lot on Jersey Street. Henderson died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Defense attorney Mark Fonte at the time described the incident as an ambush, as his client was called over to a parked car occupied by Henderson and other men, according to Advance/SILive.com archives.
Following his release from prison in that incident, Sears was arrested again in 2017 as part of a wiretap drug investigation on the North Shore involving several alleged gang members. He was sentenced in that case to seven years in prison.