Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis today sentenced Mohammad Abdul Malek (68, St. Marys, GA) to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement and coercion of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Malek pleaded guilty on October 30, 2018.

According to court documents, between August 23 and August 26, 2018, Malek engaged in email and text communications with an undercover agent posing as a 13 year-old girl. Malek asked for photos of the “child” and told her he wanted to teach her about “making love.” Malek was advised and acknowledged that the “child” was a minor, and he suggested that they meet to engage in sex. On August 26, 2018, Malek traveled to Jacksonville to meet the “child,” and was arrested by officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

“This child predator thought he was traveling to sexually assault a child,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “Instead, he was met by undercover law enforcement who stopped him in his tracks.”

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.          

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.