Attorney Prim F. Escalona | U.S. Department of Justice
Two individuals have been indicted on charges related to child sexual exploitation, as announced by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court, accuses Wisam A. Sharieff, 43, from Euless, Texas, and Blake Miller Barakat, also known as "Hamna," 50, from Shelby County, Alabama. They face charges of conspiracy to engage in the sexual exploitation of children, conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, sexual exploitation of children, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
According to the indictment details, between September 27 and October 15 of this year, Sharieff and Barakat allegedly conspired to coerce a minor into sexually explicit conduct for visual documentation purposes. They are also accused of conspiring to receive and distribute child pornography.
The investigation was conducted by FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in collaboration with the FBI Dallas-Fort Worth Violent Crimes Task Force and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White is handling the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project involves federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders who exploit children online while identifying victims for rescue efforts.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
It is important to note that an indictment contains only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
