Tiktok Preacher, Who Said Sex Can Bring People Closer To God, Arrested (Pix)

Tiktok Preacher Who Said Sex Can Bring People Closer To God, Arrested For Influencing 7 Year Old To Watch Põrn

A man who claimed to be an instructor in the Quran, and one of his online students have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a conspiracy to sexually exploit a child.

According to U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, using the title of “Imam,” Wisam Sharieff, 44, of Euless, Texas, served as an online instructor specializing in Quran recitation and claimed to have taught over 25,000 students worldwide.

Escalona’s office said Blake Miller Barakat, also known as “Hamna,” 51, of Shelby County, was one of Sharieff’s online students.

According to court documents, Sharieff told Barakat that a person could improve their recitation of the Quran and become closer to Allah by achieving sexual pleasure. In October 2024, both Sharieff and Barakat repeatedly watched and shared adult pornography videos with each other online. They then reportedly influenced a 7-year-old to watch these videos.

Escalona’s office said that both Sharieff and Barakat further coerced that child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating child pornography.

In June 2025, Sharieff pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography.

On Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, a U.S. district judge sentenced Sharieff to 960 months, the equivalent of 80 years, in federal prison. He will be subject to a life term of supervised release following his prison term.

Escalona’s office said Sharieff was also ordered to pay a $135,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 (AVAA).

According to Escalona’s office, the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 (AVAA) created new penalties and made several changes to existing child pornography laws.

In passing the legislation, Congress intended for victims of child pornography to be compensated for the harms resulting from every perpetrator who contributes to their pain. The amounts received as AVAA special assessments are deposited in the Child Pornography Victims Reserve to pay defined monetary assistance to victims.

According to Escalona’s office, in June 2025, Barakat pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. In October 2025, Barakat was sentenced to 840 months, the equivalent of 70 years, in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release.

Barakat was also ordered to pay a $30,000 AVAA special assessment.

Both Barakat and Sharieff were held in the Talladega County Jail for the U.S. Marshals.

The FBI Birmingham Division’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the FBI Dallas-Fort Worth Violent Crimes Task Force, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama and the Euless Police Department in Texas.

“The exploitation of children is an egregious crime that demands immediate and decisive law enforcement action,” David R. Fitzgibbons, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Birmingham Division, said. “The FBI stands ready to exert maximum effort, with urgency and in lockstep with our partners, to protect children and hold these predators accountable.”