Sharon Gohari, a naturalized US citizen originally from Iran living in Nassau County, New York, pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn on May 13 to charges of alien smuggling and receiving child sexual abuse material [1, 2].
Gohari ran a smuggling scheme from at least December 2020 until his arrest in May 2025, helping Iranian nationals and others enter the United States unlawfully. He charged thousands of dollars per client and routed migrants through countries like Mexico and Turkey. He also aided visa applications at the Mexican embassy in Iran [1, 2].
At least one smuggled migrant had connections to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, and was detained by US border authorities. FBI officials said this posed a national security threat. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said, "We cannot protect our national security without a secure border. Gohari made a business of smuggling aliens into the United States, including someone linked to the IRGC" [1, 2].
Federal agents found child sexual abuse material on devices seized from Gohari, including videos showing sexual abuse of children as young as five years old. They also uncovered hundreds of photos and videos of women secretly filmed and followed in public New York City locations. Gohari shared those images with overseas accounts, including in Iran [1, 2].
Gohari reportedly expressed intent to seek sexual partners at a high school after receiving child sexual abuse material, according to court documents [1].
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said, "The defendant exploited and endangered vulnerable individuals for profit, over and over again, while also putting our national security at risk by helping people bypass the country’s vetting systems." FBI Counterterrorism Assistant Director Donald Holstead added, "The defendant admits to helping people illegally enter the United States, including someone associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which endangers our country’s national security" [2].
Alien smuggling carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years and maximum of 10 years, while child sexual abuse material offenses carry a mandatory minimum of five years and maximum of 20 years. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled [1].
