A Bangladeshi national extradited to Alaska on child sexual exploitation charges made his first appearance in federal court Thursday in Anchorage.
Zobaidul Amin, 28, is accused of operating what prosecutors describe as an “international child sexual exploitation enterprise.”
In July 2022, a grand jury indicted Amin on charges that he used social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram to entice hundreds of minors into making sexually explicit content.
Court documents described a 14-year-old Alaska girl who reported her interactions with Amin to local police in December 2021 as the “first domino that eventually caused Amin’s enterprise to fall.”
Through dozens of search warrants and subpoenas, law enforcement officials say they were able to link Amin to hundreds of other victims. He allegedly threatened to expose them to family and friends if they didn’t send additional sexually charged photos or videos. In some instances, Amin forced minors to put him in contact with other girls he could exploit, according to a memorandum prosecutors filed Thursday to argue for detaining him pending the outcome of the case.
According to the FBI, Amin was arrested by Malaysian police in Kuala Lampur in September 2022 and was charged by the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia with 13 counts related to possession and production of child sexual abuse materials. He was transported to Alaska on Wednesday and taken into custody by the FBI.
Amin is charged with 13 federal criminal counts, including conspiracy to distribute and receive child sexual abuse materials, cyberstalking, aggravated identity theft and fraud.
He pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, Amin faces 20 years to life in prison.
