MN Man Who Fled To Arab Emirates Gets 40 Years On Child Porn Charges

MINNEAPOLIS — A former fugitive who fled to the United Arab Emirates and was extradited back to the United States was sentenced to 40 years in prison on several child pornography crimes, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced Thursday.

Ibrahim Ghassan Sleyman, 30, pleaded guilty in December to one count of attempted production and production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of enticement of a minor.

As a part of his plea, Sleyman admitted to criminal conduct relating to 22 children.

He was sentenced by U.S. District Court by Judge Donovan W. Frank, who said he presided over "hundreds of child pornography cases" but Sleyman’s case was "distinguishable" from many of those prior cases, in part, due to hands-on sexual abuse.

Between October 2020 and March 2023, Sleyman used Snapchat and other messaging apps to solicit sexually explicit material and sex acts from minors, some as young as nine years old, according to authorities.

Sleyman also groomed and enticed a child to produce child pornography and engage in sexual activity with Sleyman by providing the minor with drugs and gifts, investigators said.

Sleyman became aware of law enforcement’s investigation and on Sept. 6, 2022, fled to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, according to authorities.

While Sleyman was a fugitive in the UAE, he continued to use Snapchat to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors in the U.S., investigators said.

Sleyman was extradited by the UAE on Sept. 15 and was immediately taken into federal custody.