Khadim Rassol Gueye, a 26-year-old citizen of Senegal, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to attempted transmission of obscene material to a minor. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Our federal law enforcement partners are relentless in their work to keep our children safe from sexual predators, like this criminal alien, and my office stands ready to aggressively prosecute these offenses to ensure the most vulnerable members of our community won’t be victimized.”
Court records show that Gueye used a widely used cloud-based messaging application to communicate with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. Over several months, he sent sexually explicit messages and obscene images depicting himself. The individual he contacted was actually an undercover special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). After completing his prison sentence, Gueye will be required to register as a sex offender.
Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas G. Ingegno commented: “This sentence reinforces our commitment to protecting children from those who use digital platforms to exploit them. Transmitting obscene material to a minor is a serios crime with lasting consequences for its victims. This outcome reflects the hard work of our investigators and prosecutors and serves as a clear warning that anyone who targets children online will be held fully accountable.”
The investigation leading to this conviction was conducted by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, while Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at fighting child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordination among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices nationwide serving as principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. Public court documents are available online via the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website, and further details about the office can be accessed at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
