Nadim Kashouh, 62, proclaimed his innocence through a spokesperson after appearing in court Monday on charges that could send him to prison for life.
Kashouh, the owner of Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill in Springfield, Massachusetts, faces two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, armed robbery with a firearm, and assault and battery. The armed robbery charge alone carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He had an active license to carry the two guns registered to him.
“Mr. Kashouh was grateful for the opportunity to appear in court today and respond to the allegations against him. He maintains his innocence and that his actions were taken in self-defense,” his spokesperson said in a Facebook statement. “As this matter moves through the legal process, Mr. Kashouh looks forward to the opportunity for the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident to be fully addressed.”
The case stems from a Friday confrontation at a nearby convenience store, where Kashouh and another employee caught up with two teens who had left his restaurant without paying their $92 tab. The teens, a 17-year-old girl and Javonnie Lee, 18, told police they tried to pay but fled after their card was declined twice, according to a police report.
Ryan Walsh of the Springfield Police Department said Kashouh ordered the pair to return to the restaurant and allegedly grabbed the girl’s phone. Kashouh then allegedly struck both teens, leaving the girl with a bruise, Walsh said.
“As a larger group gathered, Kashouh is alleged to have pointed his firearm in the direction of the group,” Walsh said. “Kashouh stated he did so in self-defense.”
The terrified girl gave a starkly different account to investigators. She told police “she believed she was going to lose her life” when she saw the gun.
The incident has split opinion in Springfield, where Kashouh had built considerable goodwill during his 26 years in business. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, he moved to Lebanon as a child in 1974 and came to the United States in 1990, fleeing civil war. He initially sold Mitsubishi cars and jewelry before opening Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill in 2000.
“My father owned a hotel in Lebanon, and every summer, I was cheap labor for him,” he told Mass Live earlier this month. “I was always working — from serving in the dining room to greeting the guests checking in and bringing them to their rooms.”
Maureen Pinette, who worked with Kashouh between 2012 and 2014, defended him on Facebook. “I have known Nadim to be respectful, fair, calm, and incredibly hardworking,” she wrote. “I’ve watched him deal with difficult situations and difficult people, and I have never known him to be someone who simply loses his cool.”
She added: “I see so much of Nadim in both of his children—the love, the loyalty, the work ethic, and the way they show up for the people around them. I’ve also watched Nadim give to people and to his community without needing recognition for it. He has done things for people simply because they needed help.”
Not all locals shared that sympathy. “Because he has a great business, well known in Springfield doesn’t mean you can commit crimes,” Qualina Lewis, a local resident, told WWLP. “Threatening with a gun, someone could’ve lost their lives. Lock him up.”
The two teens face their own legal consequences, with charges of defrauding a restaurant that could bring up to two years in jail and a $600 fine. Kashouh had received a mayoral proclamation just before the incident, with Mayor Domenic Sarno declaring September 10 “Nadim’s Mediterranean Restaurant and Grill Day” in honor of his establishment’s anniversary.
Kashouh’s next court date has not been announced.