SEARCY, Ark. — On Wednesday, a 56-year-old Searcy man was convicted for the sex trafficking of a child by a federal jury for an incident involving a 15-year-old girl in May 2019.
A federal grand jury indicted Muhammad Arif on February 4, 2020, and United States District Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. will sentence him at a later date.
Arif faces a minimum of 10 years to life in federal prison with no less than five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
According to the Office of the United States Attorney Eastern District of Arkansas, Arif was the boss of the minor's dad, and near the end of May 2019, the three met at Arif's business in Searcy.
From there, Arif instructed an employee to take the minor's father to a different job site in Bradford, leaving him alone with the minor.
In an interview with the White County Child Safety Center, the minor said Arif "volunteered to drive her from SEarcy to Judsonia in his private vehicle."
Once alone in the vehicle, Arif offered $100 in exchange for oral sex and another $20 if the minor "promised not to say anything."
The minor recorded her entire conversation with Arif, whose voice can be heard on another recording in June 2019, continuously bringing up "engaging in sexual activity."
Authorities questioned Arif on September 21, 2019, when he confirmed the incident in the car and acknowledged knowing the minor's age.
During the interview, the Office of the United States Attorney Eastern District of Arkansas said Arif was "embarrassed and began to express his concerns that people he was close to would find out about the recordings.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with assistance from the Judsonia Police Department and the Kensett Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and Katie Hinojosa prosecuted the case.