Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Extortion and Possession of Child Pornography
A Jacksonville, Florida man, pleaded guilty today to extortion and possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Barbara McQuade announced.
McQuade was joined in the announcement by Paul Abbate, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.
Syed Ibrahim Hussain, 34, entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge Victoria A. Roberts.
Information provided to the court at the guilty plea proceeding showed that from December, 2012, to April, 2013, Hussain was residing at various hotels near Detroit. During this time, Hussain sent text messages to a woman demanding that she marry him or he would kidnap, rape, strangle and burn her. When Hussain was arrested in April, 2013, it was discovered that he was electronically tracking the woman using global positioning system trackers he had secretly placed on her car. Hussain was also in possession of multiple sets of hand-cuffs and leg irons, duct tape, a bullet proof vest, a shotgun, and a taser, among other items. A search of Hussain’s lap top computer also revealed that he was in possession of multiple videos and images of child pornography.
“With today’s technology, determined stalkers have the ability to constantly communicate with and locate their victims.” McQuade said. “We are grateful for the diligence of the law enforcement officers who intervened before the defendant could act on his threats.”
“This case serves as an example of highly effective, proactive collaboration between federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement,” stated Paul Abbate, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The collective efforts in this investigation halted Mr. Hussain’s criminal threats and disrupted his planned violent actions.”
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Hussain will serve 63 to 78 months in prison, register as a sex offender, and be fined up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for February 24, 2015 at 10 a.m.