A 44-year-old Vallejo man was sentenced Monday in federal court in Sacramento to 30 years behind bars for child sex crimes and also will face proceedings next month in Solano County Superior Court for crimes against the victims, a U.S. Department of Justice official said.
Tariq Arrhamann Majid was sentenced to prison for two counts of sexual exploitation of children, Phillip A. Talbert, the U.S. Attorney for the DOJ’s Eastern District of California, said in a press statement.
According to court documents, Majid was arrested in late 2018, following an investigation involving the online sharing of child pornography. Investigators discovered images and videos of Majid sexually abusing two minors, one of whom was 9 years old at the time of the offense, Talbert said in the prepared statement. Investigators eventually identified the two child victims depicted in the videos, and Majid admitted that he was the abuser depicted in the recordings.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Majid had contact with many other minors who came from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds.
“He sought out opportunities to work with children, both in formal and informal settings, and he would purport to be their mentor while grooming them for sexual abuse,” Talbert wrote.
Several additional victims of Majid’s abuse have come forward since the investigation began, and he has been charged in Solano County Superior Court with his crimes against these victims, noted Talbert.
Court records show Majid faces a summary judgment at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 7 in Department 7 in the Justice Building in Vallejo. A summary judgment, used in cases where there is no dispute about the facts, is a judge’s decision based on statements and evidence without going to trial. However, after the judgment, Judge Tim P. Kam may decide to end the case or proceed to trial in state court.
“The lengthy sentence imposed today (in federal court) reflects the abhorrent crimes that this defendant committed against multiple children,” Talbert added. “My office will continue to work in partnership with state, federal, and local law enforcement to pursue predators such as this defendant and ensure the safety of our community’s most vulnerable members.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith prosecuted the case.
Brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the DOJ to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, the case stemmed from an investigation by the California Highway Patrol Computer Crimes Investigation Unit, the Golden Gate Special Investigations Unit, and the FBI.
Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC brings together federal, state, and local resources to find, arrest, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for details about internet-safety education.