An official in Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office was placed on leave recently following reports that he made antisemitic comments during a 2016 interview.

True-See Allah was named director of the office’s new Community Engagement/Strategic Partnerships Unit last June. A spokesperson for Hayden’s office confirmed that Allah has been placed on leave while a review takes place.

“In keeping with our policy of intolerance for racism, bigotry, bias or prejudice against any segment of our population, we have initiated a review of information provided to us regarding alleged statements made seven years ago by True-See Allah. Mr. Allah has been placed on administrative leave while the review takes place,” Hayden’s office said in a statement.

Allah was a guest on a 2016 radio program from The Allah Team Radio, a group that promotes the Nation of Islam, a Black nationalist organization. The Nation of Islam, founded in 1930, offers programs designed to positively impact Black Americans. But those efforts have been “overshadowed by the organization’s lengthy record of antisemitism, homophobia, and connections to prominent white supremacists,” according to the The Southern Poverty Law Center.

Nation of Islam is designated by StopAntisemitism and other advocacy organization as a hate group.

Despite its name, the Nation of Islam’s ideology differs significantly from traditional Islamic theology, which teaches that all are equal under God, according to the SPLC.

During the 2016 interview, Allah said he was introduced to someone who was involved in an effort to bring Reebok to Boston. He described the man as a “Jewish guy who’s got short arms and deep pockets.” The myth that Jews are greedy and financially stingy has been a component of antisemitic beliefs since medieval times.

At the time of the interview, Allah was Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Reintegration for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. He later worked as Director of Outreach and Reentry for the state’s Office of Public Safety and Security. In February 2022, Allah was named as a member of the new Community Advisory Committee in Hayden’s office, tasked with reviewing procedures, policies, and making recommendations for the office.

In a press release last June, Hayden said that Allah brings “unparalleled experience” to work with intervention, prevention and programming for returning citizens.

Allah is a former gang member who was convicted for playing a part in the 1989 shooting that left a man, MacArthur Williams Jr., paralyzed, The Boston Globe reported. Williams later died due to bladder cancer, which his family believed was tied to his paralysis. Williams’s widow told the Globe that she forgave him.

In 2015, The Governor’s Council voted to pardon Allah. His pardon was reportedly recommended by Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office at the time. Allah, who was previously named Troy C. Watson, was accused of instigating Williams’s shooting but did not fire the weapon that paralyzed him, according to the Globe. Allah started worshiping at a Nation of Islam mosque in Boston after being released from prison.

In 2020, Allah reportedly posted an autographed photograph of Farrakhan with his arm around Allah to Facebook. In the post, he called Farrakhan the “Undisputed Champion for all of humanity.” Farrakhan has an extensive history of antisemitic rhetoric.