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 Justice Department news release, 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, The Washington Post reported.
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.
Reuters reported that prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Alexandria acknowledged that the filing erroneously contained reference to Assange.
