Man Indicted on Child Sexual Exploitation Charges

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Springfield man with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and receipt, distribution, possession, and transportation of child pornography.

According to the indictment, between January and February 2019, Monis Irfan, 21, allegedly attempted to persuade and induce a minor under the age of 13 to engage in illegal sexual activity. At the time, he was an instructional assistant and substitute elementary school teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools. The indictment further alleges that in 2018 and 2019, Irfan traded, transported, and possessed child pornography using a cell phone and personal laptop computer.

If convicted of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, Irfan faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum of life. If convicted of receipt, distribution, and transportation of child pornography, Irfan faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years on each count. 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.

This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with detectives from the Fairfax County Police, Arlington County Police, Prince William County Police, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police, Alexandria City Police, Washington Metropolitan Police, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, George Mason University Police, United States Marshal’s Service, and agents of various Office of Inspector Generals. This matter was brought to the task force by the Fairfax County Police Department.

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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maya D. Song and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Clayman are prosecuting the case.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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. 1:19-cr-120.