Yusuf Bey IV

Yusuf Bey IV

By Paul T. Rosynsky, Chauncey Bailey Project

OAKLAND – Yusuf Bey IV, leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery, was assigned a private attorney Wednesday morning as he faces more than a dozen criminal charges of kidnapping, torture and real estate fraud. Bey was scheduled to enter a plea before Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Beatus, but instead was assigned a court-appointed lawyer.

 Bey said he could not afford an attorney, and because the public defender is already assigned to a co-defendant in the case, the court will appoint a private attorney to defend the bakery’s heir.In addition to facing charges of kidnapping and torture of two women in May, Bey is charged with 12 criminal counts related to real estate fraud, court documents show.

Bey and three other members of the bakery were arrested two weeks ago during a multiagency raid on the group’s headquarters on San Pablo Avenue.

Bey, his brother Joshua Bey and Tamon Halfin were charged with kidnapping, carjacking and torture in an incident in May in which they are alleged to have used a car modified to look like a police cruiser to kidnap two women. Meanwhile, a fourth bakery member arrested, Devaughndre Broussard, was charged with the murder of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, who was working on a story about the bakery’s troubled finances and internal strife.

Police said Broussard, who will appear in court today, confessed to the killing of Bailey because he was upset about what the journalist was looking into.

Broussard later said he was beaten into confessing, a claim police have denied.

As Bey was preparing to appear in court, new charges against him surfaced.

According to court documents, Bey used the name Yasir Human to purchase a house at 2514 61st Ave. in Oakland with the help of a $550,000 loan from Cit Group/Consumer Finance Inc.

Bey also stole another person’s identity and used a fake driver’s license to secure the load, court documents state.

“Bey utilized a false driver’s license taken from the legitimate license holder … and signed all the documents under the name Yasir Human,” the criminal complaint reads. “This allowed defendant Bey to obtain the property under more favorable credit conditions.”

It remains unclear if Yasir Human exists or if the name was made up by Bey as a cover. Investigators have asked to keep the name of the person whose identity was stolen anonymous.

Nevertheless, Bey is charged with real estate fraud, forgery, grand theft, filing false documents, obtaining money under false pretenses, possession of a forged driver’s license and identity theft.

He is being held in lieu of $130,000 bail on those charges. He is also being held on an outstanding warrant from San Francisco for failure to appear in court on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. In that case, Bey is accused of trying to run over a bouncer outside a strip club.

All four bakery members are scheduled to appear in court again today to enter pleas and finalize their representation.