A man serving community supervision following a child rape conviction now faces federal charges alleging he used social media platforms to lure a Seattle teenager and record their sexual encounter.
An indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle charges 28-year-old Aqeel Ibn-Khalid Shareef with one count of production of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison upon conviction.
Charging documents indicate Washington Department of Corrections officers supervising Shareef grew suspicious during the fall that he was using unauthorized electronic devices in violation of his release conditions. Authorities obtained a warrant and arrested Shareef in October.
A search of Shareef’s phone revealed video of him engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl in September, according to charging documents filed in the case.
The allegations describe Shareef contacting the teenager through social media, where he discussed her school and family before arranging to meet her at a south Seattle restaurant. Investigators say Shareef then drove the girl to Jefferson Park, where he sexually assaulted her while recording the encounter on video.
Shareef was previously convicted in 2024 in Snohomish County Superior Court for raping a teenager he met through social media. Court records show he entered guilty pleas to child rape, supplying liquor to a minor, unlawful harboring of a minor, and possession of child pornography.
That earlier case involved Shareef befriending a 14-year-old girl on social media before arranging to pick her up from her family’s Tacoma home. He transported the girl to his Arlington residence, where he provided her alcohol before filming multiple sexual assaults.
The victim’s parents determined her location and contacted police. According to the police report, Shareef concealed the girl in a closet when officers initially arrived at his home. She was subsequently located, and Shareef was taken into custody.
In January 2024, a judge sentenced Shareef to 30 months in prison with credit for time served. Department of Corrections records show he was released in August 2024 to the state’s Community Custody program, which provides supervision for offenders transitioning back to the community.
Shareef’s release conditions included specific prohibitions against contacting minors and restrictions on electronic device use. State records indicate authorities approved Shareef to possess one cell phone under supervision.
However, a search warrant execution revealed Shareef had two unauthorized cell phones at the time of his October arrest on the Department of Corrections warrant. The arrest report states both phones had been hidden under a sink and concealed behind rolls of paper towels when officers took him into custody.
The charging documents indicate Shareef was actively using social media to identify and communicate with victims, a pattern consistent with his previous conviction.
Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson told reporters that federal prosecutors have filed charges in several recent cases involving sex offenders who use social media to locate new victims. She emphasized that perpetrators often do not fit stereotypical profiles.
“A lot of these offenders don’t look like creepy pedophiles,” Gregson explained. “They’re on some platform kids are on, and the kids are completely oblivious to the offender until it’s almost too late, and that person has entered their circle. They’re friends with their friends, and maybe the child has told them something that would be embarrassing.”
Gregson described how initial contact between offenders and victims typically begins on mainstream social media applications including TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram, then transitions to encrypted messaging platforms such as Kik, Discord, or WhatsApp.
“I’ve seen cases on Roblox,” Gregson said. “These children are just on platforms that, from an adult perspective, are made for children. I think you have to have really honest conversations with your children because who you think you are meeting online is not necessarily who you are meeting. A lot of these defendants pretend to be much younger; they pretend to be peer-aged.”
Shareef’s arrest represents one of three recent cases highlighted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on preventing child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Anatoli Fefelov, 30, of Lynnwood, faces charges of distribution of images of child sexual abuse and attempted enticement of a minor. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Fefelov used Discord and Kik to distribute child sexual abuse material.
Registered sex offender Robert Fiore, 55, of Marysville, entered a guilty plea in November to possessing child sexual abuse images. Court records indicate search warrants uncovered 50 videos and 242 images of child sex abuse material on his devices. Fiore admitted to engaging in online conversations with more than a dozen minors as young as 12 years old.
“The government shutdown did not slow our work to investigate and prosecute those who harm children,” stated U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “There is no place in society for those who prey on vulnerable victims, especially children. We all must be vigilant about protecting our children from those who seek to harm them via the internet.”
Shareef remains in custody at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. His trial is currently scheduled for January.
