Ohio Man Gets 30 Years for Kentucky Sex Crimes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Syed Sheraz Ahmed, 40, of Powell, Ohio, will spend the next three decades behind bars after receiving a 360-month federal prison sentence on Monday. Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves handed down the punishment after Ahmed pleaded guilty to the sickening charges of traveling for sex with a minor and receipt of child pornography.

The case, built on a disturbing trail of digital breadcrumbs, revealed Ahmed’s predatory behavior began in the fall of 2015. Court documents show Ahmed initiated contact with a minor through Facebook, adopting a false identity to groom the victim. He then escalated communication to Snapchat before plotting a cross-state trip to Kentucky in September 2016. The intent? To meet the child in person.

Ahmed followed through with his depraved plan, picking up the minor from school and taking her to a motel. There, he engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim. The encounter didn’t remain hidden for long. A subsequent police stop revealed Ahmed was in possession of sexually explicit images of the minor, further cementing the gravity of his crimes.

Ahmed entered a guilty plea in July 2021, but the damage was already done. Federal sentencing guidelines require Ahmed to serve at least 85 percent of his 30-year sentence. Even after release, he will remain under the perpetual supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for the remainder of his life – a small measure of accountability for a monstrous act.

The sentencing was announced jointly by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Carlton S. Shier, IV, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen, and Richmond Police Chief Rodney Richardson. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the FBI and the Madison County Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield leading the prosecution.

This case was prosecuted under the umbrella of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to aggressively combat the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute predators and rescue victims. More information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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