Local Arabic Tutor Convicted of Child Pornography Charges

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Woodbridge man, who worked as a children’s tutor, yesterday on charges of transporting and receiving child pornography.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from around May 2019 to January 2020, Majed Talat Hajbeh, 58, used a messaging application to forward himself over 800 videos and images of child pornography in order to access them across multiple devices. Along with the videos, Hajbeh forwarded himself links to online groups where child pornography was openly traded, some of which had names such as “Send Child Porn,” “Only Children Sex,” “kids only cp,” and “12 years kids XXX child.” Prior to his arrest in this case, Hajbeh operated a small business providing Arabic language and religious tutoring to school-aged children. GPS data from Hajbeh’s phone showed that some of the child pornography was forwarded from the homes of his tutoring students. 

Hajbeh faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on February 11, 2022. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danya E. Atiyeh and Seth M. Schlessinger are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-83.