Guyanese activist Rickford Burke has issued a forceful public rebuke, flatly refusing a legal demand to retract what attorneys describe as “false and defamatory” allegations of international criminal activity against prominent auto dealership BM Soat and its owners.
Brooklyn, NY – In a fiery response to a formal legal threat, political activist Rickford Burke has defiantly rejected a cease-and-desist demand from attorneys representing Guyanese businessman Rameez Mohamed and the BM Soat Auto Dealership, promising instead to unleash “overwhelming” evidence of criminality.
The conflict stems from a series of Facebook posts published by Burke in recent days, which are detailed in a December 4, 2025 letter from the law firm Lewis & Lin LLC. The letter, addressed to Burke in Brooklyn, demands he remove all content accusing Mohamed and his family business of operating a transnational “vehicle theft operation” and “criminal fraud scheme.”
“The owners of BM Soat will get an apology from me when hell freezes over. Apologizing to criminals is beneath my dignity,” Burke stated in his written response, a copy of which was obtained for this report. He dismissed the legal warning, adding, “Criminals cannot intimidate me while hiding behind an Attorney’s cease and desist letter.”
The attorney’s letter catalogues a litany of specific allegations Burke has reportedly made online. These include claims that BM Soat “steals cars in North America,” “switches VIN numbers,” ships “stolen vehicles to Guyana,” and is part of a “PPP criminal cartel.” The posts further allege the Mohamed family is “under criminal investigation in the U.S. and Canada” and possesses “undercover recordings” of criminal admissions.
David D. Lin, the attorney for Mohamed, categorically denies every allegation in the three-page legal notice. “Every statement listed above was false at the time you published it, and remains false today,” Lin writes. The letter asserts that no law enforcement agency is investigating Mohamed or BM Soat, no stolen vehicles have ever been traced to the company, and that the allegations are “fabricated.”
Lin’s letter allegedly implies false allegations against Burke, writing that Burke’s posts may be part of a “coordinated harassment and extortion attempt” linked to a private financial dispute involving Mohamed’s brother. It warns that the statements are “defamatory per se” under New York law and demands Burke remove all content, cease further statements, and provide a written apology within seven days to avoid a lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Burke’s response shows no intention of backing down, instead challenging the dealership’s owners to sue. “If they believe that what I allegedly said is actionable they should be my guest and file their lawsuit,” he said. He claims to possess damning proof, stating, “The evidence of criminal wrongdoing against BM Soat and its owners is overwhelming, cogent, indisputable and as high as Mt. Everest.”
He further welcomed a legal confrontation, stating, “I would love to put this evidence and more to these criminals and their co-conspirators while they’re under oath in the witnesses box. So I urge them to bring it on!”
Burke also rejected the confidentiality clause in the lawyer’s letter. “Apparently this Attorney is confused. I did not enter into a confidentiality agreement with him. Therefore, the presumed authority he thinks he has to instruct me to keep his correspondence to me confidential is manifestly misguided.”
The cease-and-desist letter concludes by stating that if no compliance is communicated by December 11, 2025, the firm will proceed with filing a lawsuit on behalf of Rameez Mohamed. With Burke’s combative refusal, a high-stakes legal battle between the activist and the auto dealership now appears imminent.
