When Cromitie -- a lifelong jailbird -- last got out of prison two years ago, he similarly told stunned relatives in The Bronx that he had converted to Islam. He announced that his new name was Abdul Rahman and that he was now living in Newburgh.
"He told me that he was a Muslim and that didn't eat pork anymore, and I told him, 'Get out of here!' " said his surprised mother, Adela Cromitie. "Why would he do something like that? He was raised Episcopalian."
| He was educated at Rikers ... |
But Adela was shocked by that claim. "I don't why he'd say that. We have no ties to the Middle East or anything like that," she said. "We are from the South, although he has some relatives in Barbados."
| There, you see? Barbados begins with B, Afghanistan begins with A -- the connection is obvious! |