Step 1
My name is Leonard Brown aka Luqman Abdul Rahman. I am 58 year old Muslim. I am currently serving a 32 year federal sentence for an Attempted Bank Robbery I committed in 2003. I am not innocent. I did this crime and I regret it with all my heart. Not just getting caught but the trauma and pain I caused the victims and my friends and family. I can honestly say that after 22 years I am a different person than that young criminal who committed that heinous act. I love the idea of this platform. This will allow the courts to see exactly what I am doing to change my life and it will show the Courts what I’m doing after release to give them reassurance that it was not a mistake to release me.
I was raised in the church, so I knew what I was doing was wrong. This instant offense is just one of the many crimes that I engaged in at that time. I mostly sold crack and ecstasy. I use ecstasy and I was an alcoholic. I was raised in the South between Miami and Atlanta. I graduated from Tri-Cities High school in East Point Ga. I went to the Navy. I then worked in and around Atlanta GA mostly in Corporate America. I had over 30 jobs in 10 years. I earned a living wage. I attempted to live a righteous crime free life a few times before my conviction. I came late to the criminal lifestyle, late 20’s. The last time I tried to leave it Is when the trouble started. Unfortunately once I stopped using drugs and alcohol suppressed memories of my abuse surfaced. I did not have the tools or support system to cope with the shame of these terrible incidents. I went back to the drugs and alcohol and the criminal lifestyle. Six months later I was incarcerated on this current case. A direct causal link but not really the cause. I would have to learn that later.
Thanks to God I have been able to come to terms with my abuse and I have a new lease on life. I have recently focused on my newly found Muslim religion. It has changed how I interact with others including Prison Staff. It has honestly changed my view of the world. This religion has taken away my anger and brought me peace of mind. Many people comment on how different I am And I can only praise Allah for this change.
At this point in my incarceration (over 75% completed)I am close to release (2030). I teach personal finance class and I attend several group meetings. In the Persona finance class I teach inmates to save and budget and how to live beneath their means and how to forego instant gratification. I have also recently enrolled in two Islamic Schools to learn as much as I can about my faith. We have had problems receiving books over the last year but recently we have been allowed one book per week so I God Willing I’ll be able to continue my coursed now. Lack of knowledge in Islam is what causes these radical Muslims to misinterpret the Qur’an. This why they engage in violence and radical teachings. If you don’t study then it will be easy to be misled. I am also learning business administration in order to start and run trucking business and commercial cleaning company upon my release. I will also be investing my savings into real estate, startups and Pre-ipo stocks as I grow my wealth upon release.
This is me in a nutshell. I will be journaling so you can learn more about me and my journey to success. God be with you.
