While in prison, federal inmate used multiple cell phones to sexually exploit a child in Idaho – LocalNews8.com

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (DOJ PRESS RELEASE) – A federal grand jury in Coeur d’Alene today returned an indictment charging Hamza Luay Nijmeh, 39, a federal inmate held in Forrest City, Arkansas, with sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.

According to court records, Nijmeh was convicted in May 2017 of distributing child pornography and receiving child pornography. The indictment alleges that between August 2023 and October 2023, while in a federal prison in Arkansas, Nijmeh used multiple cell phones to sexually exploit a child in the District of Idaho.

If convicted, Nijmeh faces a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 50 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child. He faces an additional 10 years of consecutive imprisonment for a felony involving a minor, when he must register as a sex offender. A federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit made the announcement, praising the work of the Moscow Police Department, the Lewiston Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to the charges. The public is encouraged to contact the FBI at 208-746-3440 with information about this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law..