Detroit — A 19-year-old Plymouth Township woman was sentenced to two and a half years of probation on Thursday for falsifying threats and harassing communications from her ex-boyfriend and his friend, but the case will remain public, despite her attorney’s objections.
Rida Rustam, 19, pleaded guilty to false report of a felony, using a computer to commit a crime, lying to a police officer and stalking in connection with months of threatening text messages, notes and emails she told police she received from her ex-boyfriend, Kumayl Raza, and his friend Ibraheem Haq, leading to both Raza and Haq being charged.
An independent digital forensics investigator eventually determined Rustam had fabricated the threats. Rustam was sentenced Thursday to 30 months of probation and six days in the Wayne County Jail.
Mark Haidar, Rustam’s attorney, told The Detroit News that his client made a mistake and has learned from it.
But he contends Raza and Haq allegedly “mentally abused” Rustam, made prank calls to her, sent her harassing texts and made a false report to their principal about her being abused by her father, triggering an Adult Protective Services investigation.
Haidar said in Wayne Circuit Court on Thursday that Rustam is in her second year of college and has been going to therapy. He asked Circuit Judge Anne Maria McCarthy to grant his request for sentencing under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which would allow Rustam’s case to be nonpublic if she complies with the terms of her probation, but McCarthy declined to do so.
“You’re never going to see her again,” Haidar said. “She’s highly motivated, she’s dealt with her mental issues. She’s got a strong faith. She will prosper. This is a bump in the road for her.”
Haidar said while Rustam takes responsibility for her actions, the Plymouth Township Police Department “dropped the ball” during its investigation when it failed to verify the veracity of the threats. Haq and Raza have filed a civil lawsuit Plymouth Township police for failing to adequately investigate the threats.
“This should’ve stopped, these boys should’ve been exonerated much more quickly and we wouldn’t be here today,” Haidar said.
Plymouth Township Police Chief James Knittel declined to comment on the lawsuit or the claims the department failed to do a proper investigation.
Things became strained in a nonprofit Raza created that he, Haq and Rustam were a part of after Raza broke up with Rustam, according to lawsuits. The nonprofit’s board, including Raza and Haq, voted to remove Rustam from the board in January 2025.
Within a month, Rustam reported to police that she was receiving threats and harassing messages from Raza and Haq. One email she received read, in part, “just kill yourself ur gonna do us all a favor lol. Inshallah (God willing) your attempt will be successful,” according to the lawsuit.
A text read “UR GONNA (expletive) REGRET IT (expletive) …I’m gonna come right now (expletive) run you over. I wanted someone else to do it now I gotta do it…I’m gonna burn down ur house with u in, then tie up ur (expletive) burned body and choke u and (expletive) u so bad and shoot u in ur ugly (expletive) face.”
Raza and Haq were arrested April 4, 2025. Haq was charged in juvenile court with aggravated stalking and malicious use of a telecommunications device. Raza was charged with aggravated stalking. In June, Raza’s charges were upgraded to adult felonies, punishable by up to seven years in prison.
When Rustam was ultimately confronted with evidence that she had falsified the threats, she confessed and Raza and Haq were exonerated.
kberg@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Plymouth Twp. teen sentenced after faking threats against ex
Reporting by Kara Berg, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kara Berg, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
