California Man Arrested for Sex Trafficking a Minor

BOSTON – A California man has been arrested and charged for allegedly sex trafficking a 17-year-old minor victim who had previously been reported missing.

Ibrahim Abdul-Alim Bin Hajj Yahya Abdul-Malik, 37, of San Jose, Calif., was charged with sex trafficking a minor. Malik was arrested on March 10, 2025 in California and made his initial appearance in the Northern District of California. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, on Dec. 11, 2024, law enforcement received information that a 17-year-old minor victim was being advertised for commercial sex acts online in the Boston area. The minor victim had previously been reported missing from her home in Ohio in August 2024. Investigators identified advertisements containing photographs of the minor victim and a phone number used to use to arrange commercial sex encounters with the minor victim. Law enforcement responded to the advertisement in an undercover capacity and the responding telephone number arranged for a commercial sex date at a hotel in Cambridge. There, law enforcement recovered the minor victim and seized her iPhone as evidence. 
    
A subsequent investigation allegedly revealed that, in or around Nov. 13, 2024, Malik began trafficking the minor victim in other states, posting commercial sex advertisements for the minor victim on various websites. In order to avoid law enforcement detection, it is alleged that Malik raised the minor victim’s listed age on those websites to falsely indicate that she was 20 years old.

During a search of the minor victim’s phone, law enforcement allegedly located messages from Malik about the minor victim engaging in commercial sex acts with sex buyers. On multiple occasions, it is alleged that Malik directed the minor victim to have sex buyer payments sent to a Zelle account he controlled. After the sex buyer sent the payment, it is alleged that Malik would confirm receipt of the money and keep all of the profits.

It is further alleged that Malik fled the Boston area immediately following the Dec. 11, 2024 undercover operation – purchasing an airline ticket to fly from Boston to San Jose, Calif. on a flight that departed at 6 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2024.

The charge of sex trafficking of children carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in San Jose, Calif. and the Arlington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.