NY man pleads guilty to smuggling IRGC-linked migrants into the US
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An Iranian-born U.S. citizen based in New York pleaded guilty Tuesday to running an immigrant smuggling operation that brought foreign nationals into the country, including a traveler affiliated with a U.S.-designated terrorist group, as well as stockpiling graphic child sexual abuse materials, federal officials said.
Sharon Gohari, who lived in Nassau County and frequently traveled to Iran, pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to human trafficking and receiving child sexual exploitation materials; This capped what officials described as a years-long scheme that both posed national security risks and involved disturbing abuse.
Prosecutors say Gohari turned illegal entry into a business from at least late 2020 until his arrest in May 2025, charging fees to transport thousands of Iranian citizens and others to the United States, routing them through Turkey and Mexico, even helping obtain visas through the Mexican embassy in Iran, and then directing them across the southern border through an international network.
DURING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, MORE THAN 700 IRANIAN CITIZENS WERE RELEASED TO US, DESPITE TERRORISM CONCERNS
Sharon Gohari mugshot: Iranian-born US citizen pleads guilty in trafficking, child abuse case (US Department of Justice)
At least one person he helped enter the country had ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. The man was later detained by border officials and admitted to performing missions for the Revolutionary Guard abroad, officials said.
“As this case shows, we cannot protect our national security without a secure border,” said Assistant Attorney General for Homeland Security John Eisenberg. he said. He added that Gohari was “involved in smuggling aliens into the United States,” including someone with ties to the Revolutionary Guard.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE ACCUSED OF TRAPPING HUNDREDS OF ALIENS FROM CANADA TO US EVERY WEEK, WHICH ARE POCKETING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
Members of security forces monitor the crowd during a funeral ceremony for Revolutionary Guard Marine Commander Alireza Tangsiri and other senior naval commanders killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes in late March in Tehran, Iran, April 1, 2026. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the defendant “repeatedly exploited and endangered vulnerable individuals for profit.”[ting] “Our national security is at risk by helping people bypass the nation’s vetting systems,” he said.
GOT A TIP?
The case took an even darker turn when federal agents searched Gohari’s devices.
Authorities say they have uncovered numerous videos depicting sexual abuse of young children, including victims believed to be as young as 5, as well as hundreds of photos and recordings showing women being secretly filmed and stalked in public places in New York City.
“The defendant admits to aiding individuals who endangered our country’s national security, including someone with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to illegally enter the United States,” said Donald Holstead, Deputy Director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL
Some of the recordings appear to have been designed to capture images at close range or under women’s clothing, and Gohari shared some of the material in connection with the exchange of child sex abuse content with overseas accounts, including in Iran, authorities said.
The EU designates Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. (Photo: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR OTHER USA NEWS
“Sharon Gohari threatened our national security by selling illegal entry into the United States,” said James Barnacle Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, adding that the case underscores efforts to bring down criminals exploiting U.S. borders.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
The case was investigated by multiple federal, state and local agencies, as well as the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
In addition to a possible 10-year prison sentence for the trafficking charge, Gohari faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison for the child exploitation charge.
