Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Mirza Afzal Hussain (56, Brandon) to 37 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor, document fraud, and aggravated identity theft. 

A federal jury found Hussain guilty on January 11, 2019, after a one-week trial.      

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Hussain agreed to house his sister and her family, including two minor daughters, when the relatives legally immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh in 2010. Hussain’s relatives were culturally and socially isolated, did not have employment, lacked transportation, and spoke very little English. During their stay at his house, Hussain developed a romantic and sexual interest in his 12-year old niece. He bought the child tight fitting clothing, romantic jewelry, and cellphones. He also sexually battered his niece and started living with her openly as if she were his spouse—in front of her family and his wife.

Hussain’s wife left him, and, in early 2012, the relatives (including his 12-year-old niece), also moved out of his home. Hussain sent numerous sexually explicit text messages to his niece—professing his love for her and his intention to marry her, discussing sex with her, soliciting naked photographs from her, and asking her to masturbate for him. He also manipulated her into falsifying reports claiming that her parents were abusing her.

In November 2012, Hussain traveled to Bangladesh and obtained a false birth certificate that changed his niece’s birthdate, making her appear to be three years older. He returned to the United States and used that birth certificate fraudulently to obtain a new Legal Permanent Resident Card reflecting her new birth year. Hussain then showed up at his niece’s home and tried to take her away from her parents—presenting the Legal Permanent Resident Card as proof that she was an adult.

 “This criminal put his own agenda first, hurting his own family. He thought he could get away with his despicable behavior by lying and blaming others for his actions,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “Thanks to our HSI special agents and law enforcement partners, a jury of his peers found him guilty and he will now be unable to harm anymore. His family can feel safe knowing justice has been served.”  

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frank Murray and Mandy Riedel. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Peresie and Rachel Jones assisted in the prosecution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Tampa, Florida – On January 11, 2019, United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced that a federal jury had found Mirza Afzal Hussain (55, Brandon) guilty of coercion and enticement of a minor, document fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Hussain faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison for the enticement conviction, a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment for the document fraud conviction, and a mandatory, consecutive two-year term of imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft conviction. Hussain’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 11, 2019.

According to evidence presented at trial, Hussain agreed to house his sister and her family, including two minor daughters, when the relatives legally immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh in 2010. Hussain’s relatives were culturally and socially isolated, did not have employment, lacked transportation, and spoke very little English. During their stay at his house, Hussain developed a romantic and sexual interest in his 12-year old niece. He bought the child tight, American styled-clothing, romantic jewelry, and cellphones. He also sexually battered his niece and started living with her openly as if she were his spouse—in front of her family and his wife.

Hussain’s wife left him, and, in early 2012, the relatives (including his 12-year-old niece), also moved out of his home. For several years, Hussain continued to contact his niece. He signed her out of school, lingered outside her new residence, and continued to contact her by phone frequently. Hussain sent numerous sexually explicit text messages to his niece—professing his love for her and his intention to marry her, discussing sex with her, soliciting naked photographs from her, and asking her to masturbate for him. He also manipulated her into falsifying reports claiming her parents were abusing her.

In November 2012, Hussain traveled to Bangladesh and obtained a false birth certificate that changed his niece’s birthdate, making her appear to be three years older. He returned to the United States and used that birth certificate to fraudulently obtain a new Legal Permanent Resident Card reflecting her new birth year. Hussain then showed up at his niece’s home and tried to take her away from her parents—presenting the Legal Permanent Resident Card as proof that she was an adult.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frank Murray and Mandy Riedel. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Peresie and Rachel Jones assisted in the prosecution.