Portrait of a smiling man with a beard, dressed in a suit, in front of an American flag background.

Portrait of a smiling man with a beard, dressed in a suit, in front of an American flag background.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline is calling for the resignation of newly elected City Councilor Iman Osman after an Androscoggin County grand jury handed down an indictment charging Osman with receiving stolen property and theft by unauthorized taking.

According to court documents obtained by WMTW, the alleged crimes involve weapons taken from two separate estates between November 15, 2023, and October 11, 2024.

The indictment accuses Osman of knowingly receiving, retaining, or disposing of firearms or explosive devices that he knew, or had reason to believe, were stolen.

A separate count alleges Osman unlawfully exercised control over firearms belonging to a second estate.

“While he is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the judicial process will be lengthy and this matter has become an unwelcome distraction from the essential business of governing. Stepping down would be the right thing to do,” Sheline told WMTW.

But the indictment is only part of the controversy surrounding Osman.

Osman, 36, currently serves on the Lewiston School Committee and was elected on November 4 to represent Ward 5 on the City Council, defeating incumbent Councilor Eryn M. Soule-Leclair by just 35 votes.

However, his residency has been under intense scrutiny.

In the indictment, Osman lists his address as 210 Blake Street in Lewiston, a property that has been condemned since October 2024 following a drug raid and the use of chemical agents described as “a deterrent for humans.”

In other words, the address used by the councilor-elect is legally uninhabitable.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the Lewiston School Committee declined to investigate Osman’s residency claims.

More from the Sun Journal:

Osman, through his attorney, has said he has no plans to step down despite several calls from local officials for him to do so.

The resolution in front of the council Tuesday states that “credible and legitimate questions have been raised by members of the public about (Osman’s) residency qualifications,” and that the city charter only grants the City Council the authority to evaluate the qualifications of a sitting councilor.

At issue is Osman’s address, which is listed as 210 Blake St.  The building has been condemned since October of last year, with no clear timeline established for Osman’s return to it, which has led to continued questions from the public regarding whether Ward 5 has true representation.

Osman has not publicly released the location of his current residence. His attorney has said Osman won’t divulge the location because he is facing harassment. Osman plans to return to the 210 Blake St. address when current renovations are complete, according to his attorney.

The state’s definition of residence for voter registration purposes is: “The residence of a person is that place where the person has established a fixed and principal home to which the person, whenever temporarily absent, intends to return.”

According to Lewiston City Clerk Kathy Montejo, the law also states the person’s residence is retained if they temporarily leave their home and go to another country, state, or place within Maine with the intent of returning.

WATCH:

The post Another Imported Disaster: Somali Refugee and Lewiston City Councilor Who Lied About Residency Just Indicted on Federal Gun Theft Charges appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.