Qatar Man Sentenced for Transportation, Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

TAMPA, Fla. — A citizen of Qatar has been sentenced to five years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release for transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa investigation.

Saoud Al Naimi, 21, who was in the United States on a student visa and attending a local college, was ordered by the court to forfeit three iPhones, an iPad Pro and a MacBook, which were used in the commission of the offense. Al Naimi was also ordered to register as a sex offender. Al Naimi entered a guilty plea on August 22, 2023.

According to court documents, HSI Tampa received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding Al Naimi’s use of an internet platform to upload a video of child sexual abuse. HSI agents searched Al Naimi’s electronic devices for evidence of child sexual abuse material and found hundreds of images and videos of children engaged in sex acts, including children under 12 years old. A search of Al Naimi’s iPhone revealed that he had obtained images of child sexual abuse in May 2020, while outside of the United States. U.S. border crossing records confirmed Al Naimi transported child sexual abuse material into the United States when he entered in January 2022. Between May 2020 and April 2022, Al Naimi transported child sexual abuse material between the United States and Qatar approximately three times.

“This predator contributed to the vile practice of sexually exploiting children online and has caused irreparable harm by condemning them to a lifetime of victimhood,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “Alongside partners like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, HSI investigators will always seek to stop the vile actions of child predators and hold them accountable for their actions.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

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.