Bangladeshi Man Flown to Alaska to Face Charges in ‘One of the Most Prolific’ Online Child Exploitation Cases Ever Seen in U.S.

A Bangladeshi national accused of operating an international sextortion ring that allegedly preyed on hundreds of minors across Alaska, the United States, and abroad appeared in federal court in Alaska on Wednesday after being transferred from Malaysia to face charges that could send him to prison for life.

Zobaidul Amin, 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Alaska in July 2022 on charges related to what prosecutors describe as a sprawling child sexual exploitation enterprise. According to the indictment, Amin used social media platforms including Instagram and Snapchat to identify, coerce, and manipulate minor victims into producing images and videos of sexually explicit and sadistic conduct.

Amin was living in Malaysia and attending medical school at the time of the U.S. charges. In September 2022, Malaysian authorities charged him with 13 counts related to the possession and production of child pornography. He was transferred from Malaysia to the United States on March 4 under a coordinated effort between the Justice Department, the FBI, and Malaysian law enforcement.

“Yesterday’s return from Malaysia of a Bangladeshi national who allegedly abused and sexually exploited hundreds of minor victims worldwide is another successful example of the Administration’s increased efforts to find criminals hiding abroad,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Together with our international partners and the U.S. Department of State, we are countering online child sexual exploitation, protecting our most vulnerable, and bringing these sick abusers to face justice on American soil.”

FBI Director Kash Patel underscored the agency’s global reach. “The FBI’s commitment to protecting our children from exploitation doesn’t change whether an offender is here in the United States or overseas,” Patel said. “In collaboration with our partners, we will continue to ensure perpetrators like Amin are held accountable and brought to justice.”

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska called the case one of the most significant of its kind. “The impact of this case is that of international magnitude. It stands as one of the most prolific cases of alleged online child exploitation the United States has ever seen,” Heyman said.

Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office said the operation demonstrated that borders and anonymity offer no refuge. “Demonstrated by this significant step taken by the FBI, those who target children online cannot hide behind anonymity or borders,” Day said. “FBI Anchorage’s successful transport and arrest operation is a testament to the strength of our international law enforcement partnerships, and the FBI’s relentless pursuit of justice for victims.”

Amin faces charges of conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, operating a child exploitation enterprise, production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, cyberstalking, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years to life in prison.

He made his initial appearance Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

He Filmed Himself Molesting a Child. His Phone Exposed a Second Man Doing the Same. Now He’s Going to Prison for 30 Years.

A Mexican national living in the United States illegally was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material—and his own recordings led investigators to evidence that a second adult male had also been assaulting the same victim.

Samuel Flores de Dios, 36, was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. The sentencing follows revelations that between February and March 2025, he repeatedly brought a girl under the age of 13 to his residence in Fredericksburg, Virginia, sexually abused her, and used multiple cell phones positioned around his bedroom to record the acts.

According to court documents, Flores de Dios recorded himself assaulting the child on at least four separate occasions. A subsequent forensic examination of the devices uncovered an even more disturbing find: videos showing a second adult male abusing the same victim, footage that is now part of a wider criminal investigation.

Flores de Dios pleaded guilty to production of child sexual abuse material earlier this year. Prosecutors emphasized the swift work of investigators in identifying and rescuing the victim after the videos were discovered.