Ex-Principal Pleads Guilty In Underage Prostitution Sting

SAVAGE, MN —A former south metro principal has pleaded guilty to one count of the prostitution of an individual believed to be aged 13 to 16.

In May, authorities said 38-year-old Mohamed Ali Selim was caught in an underage prostitution sting.

Selim was the principal at Eagle Ridge Middle School at the time of his arrest. Eagle Ridge Middle School is in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage District.

Under the plea agreement, Selim will serve 30 days at a workhouse and 30 more days in a "sent to service" program. He received four days of credit for time served.

Additionally, Selim's internet usage will be monitored, and he is ordered to have no contact with minors during probation. If Selim violates the conditions of his probation, he faces up to three years in prison.

Selim's formal sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4.

In the sting operation, undercover officers placed prostitution ads online, investigators said. Selim messaged an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl, saying he "would love to come see her," according to the criminal complaint.

Selim at first said that "it wasn't going to work," due to the girl being 15, but then said he would still come see her so they could "spend some time together," prosecutors said.

Selim arrived at the address in St. Louis Park and unknowingly told the undercover officer he was there, investigators said. He was then arrested and made comments that his life and career were over, according to authorities.

Officers found more than $200 cash on Selim and found the messages and calls between him and the undercover officer on Selim's phone, according to prosecutors.