Press Release
Two South Dakota Men Charged With Federal Child Exploitation Offenses
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa
Mensur Malik and Salim Issa, both age 22, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, have been indicted on federal child exploitation charges. The charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed July 17, 2013, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Indictment alleges that, on or about July 28, 2012, Malik and Issa knowingly traveled across a state line for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. Under federal law, illicit sexual conduct involves sex acts with minors under certain circumstances. The Indictment also alleges that, on or about July 29, 2012, Malik transported a minor across a state line with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
If convicted on all charges, Malik faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, a $200 special assessment, and at least 5 years and up to life on supervised release following any imprisonment. If convicted, Issa faces a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and at least 5 years and up to life on supervised release following any imprisonment.
Malik and Issa appeared for a detention hearing on July 31, 2013, in federal court in Cedar Rapids and were held without bond. Their next appearance for trial is set for September 30, 2013.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Clear Lake, Iowa, Police Department and the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Police Department.
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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 13-3024.
Updated February 19, 2015
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