An Alexandria, Virginia, man will spend 10 years in prison for pursuing a 15-year-old teenager.
Seitu Sulayman Kokayi, 30, was sentenced Friday in Alexandria for enticing a minor to engage in sexual conduct and transferring obscene materials.
Kokayi worked at the University of Maryland University College campus as a content developer, and he was a Quran instructor at a D.C. mosque from 2009 until his arrest in August 2018, a news release said.
Kokayi and the victim spoke on many occasions over the phone and using FaceTime, and their conversations were sexually explicit. According to the , Kokayi is suspected of supporting Islamic extremism.
Prosecutors asked for a 25-year sentence, saying that Kokayi used his influence to “sway young girls toward extremism and sexual activity,” but the judge did not consider that argument in dealing the sentence, .
Kokayi’s case was linked to the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Charges against Assange in the United States came to light when a researcher discovered references to Assange in Kokayi’s filing.
that prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Alexandria acknowledged that the filing erroneously contained reference to Assange.
