BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two individuals have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
On Thursday, United States District Judge Anna M. Manasco, sentenced Wisam Sharieff, 44, of Euless, Texas, to 960 months in prison, followed by a life term 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.
In October 2025, Sharieff’s co-defendant Blake Miller Barakat, also known as “Hamna,” 50, of Shelby County, Alabama, was sentenced to 840 months in prison followed by a life term of supervised release. Barakat was also ordered to pay a $30,000.00 AVAA special assessment. In June 2025, Barakat pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
Using the title of Imam, Sharieff was an online instructor who specialized in Quran recitation and professed to have taught over 25,000 students worldwide. Barakat was one of Sharieff’s online students. According to court documents, Sharieff told Barakat that a person could improve their recitation and become closer to Allah through achieving sexual pleasure. In October 2024, Sharieff and Barakat repeatedly watched and shared adult pornography videos with each other online and then influenced a seven-year-old child to watch these videos. Both defendants further coerced this child to engage in 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 FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the FBI Dallas-Fort Worth Violent Crimes Task Force, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (AL), and Euless Police Department (TX). Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
The Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 (AVAA) created new penalties and made several changes to existing child pornography laws. In the passage of this legislation, Congress intended for victims of child pornography to be compensated for the harms resulting from every perpetrator who contributes to their anguish. The amounts received as AVAA special assessments are deposited in the Child Pornography Victims Reserve to pay defined monetary assistance to victims.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
