Uzbekistan National Sentenced to 19 Years for Transporting Child Sex Abuse Images

A Florida man is going down for his sickening crimes against children. Sulton Nuriev, a 39-year-old Uzbekistan national, has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for transporting child sex abuse images.

Nuriev, who pleaded guilty on September 26, 2023, was busted after he flew from Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Orlando, Florida on February 20, 2022. When he returned to the United States on January 13, 2022, Customs and Border Protection agents conducted a border search of his cellphone and found the disturbing images.

Further investigation revealed that Nuriev had been posing online as a 12-year-old boy, enticing minor females to produce sexually explicit images of themselves while he was abroad. The horrific case is a stark reminder of the dangers of the dark web and the need for increased vigilance in the fight against child sex abuse.

The case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon Laurie and Courtney Richardson-Jones handling the prosecution. This case is yet another example of the efforts of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Project Safe Childhood has been instrumental in marshaling federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Nuriev’s 19-year sentence is a testament to the dedication of law enforcement and prosecutors in their pursuit of justice for victims of child sex abuse. As the Grimy Times continues to shine a light on these heinous crimes, we remind our readers that the fight against child sex abuse is ongoing and requires the collective effort of communities, law enforcement, and policymakers.

It is our duty to report on these crimes and hold perpetrators accountable. The Grimy Times will continue to provide coverage of cases like Nuriev’s, shedding light on the dark underbelly of child sex abuse and working towards a safer, more just society for all.