Two individuals have received lengthy prison sentences for their involvement in a conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
United States District Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Wisam Sharieff, 44, of Euless, Texas, to 960 months (80 years) in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. Sharieff was also ordered to pay a $135,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act (AVAA). In June 2025, Sharieff pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sexual exploitation of children, conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, and sexual exploitation of children.
Sharieff’s co-defendant Blake Miller Barakat, also known as “Hamna,” 50, from Shelby County, Alabama, was sentenced in October 2025 to 840 months (70 years) in prison with a lifetime of supervised release. Barakat was ordered to pay a $30,000 AVAA special assessment. He pleaded guilty in June 2025 to sexual exploitation of children as well as distribution and possession of child pornography.
Court documents show that Sharieff used his position as an online Quran recitation instructor—claiming more than 25,000 students worldwide—and that Barakat was one of his students. Sharieff told Barakat that “a person could improve their recitation and become closer to Allah through achieving sexual pleasure.” In October 2024 both men watched and shared adult pornography videos online before influencing a seven-year-old child to watch these videos. They then coerced the child into sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.
“The defendants’ crimes are among the most appalling of societal and criminal offenses,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “This District will relentlessly pursue criminals that target children. I commend the dedicated collaboration of our law enforcement partners in Alabama and Texas in bringing these defendants to justice.”
“The exploitation of children is an egregious crime that demands immediate and decisive law enforcement action,” stated David R. Fitzgibbons, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Birmingham Division. “The FBI stands ready to exert maximum effort, with urgency and in lockstep with our partners, to protect children and hold these predators accountable.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force; FBI Dallas-Fort Worth Violent Crimes Task Force; Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (Alabama); and Euless Police Department (Texas). Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
The Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 introduced new penalties for child pornography offenses while providing compensation for victims from special assessments paid by offenders.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division—to address child sexual exploitation on the Internet by coordinating resources at all levels of government.
More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
