Department Of Defense Employee Charged With Attempting To Entice A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Jacksonville, Florida – Mohammad Abdul Malek (67, St. Marys, GA) has been arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint with attempted enticement and coercion of a minor. If convicted, he faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison.

According to the

, between August 23 and August 26, 2018, Malek engaged in email and text communications with an undercover agent acting as a 13 year-old girl. Malek asked for photos of the “child” and told her that he wanted to teach her about “making love.” Malek was advised and acknowledged that the “child” was a minor and suggested that he and the girl 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.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being 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.