Bangladeshi American found guilty in enticement of a minor

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A federal jury in Tampa, Florida has found Mirza Afzal Hussain, 55, guilty of coercion and enticement of a minor, document fraud and aggravated identity theft, and will face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison for the enticement conviction, a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment for the document fraud conviction and a mandatory, consecutive two-year term of imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft conviction.

According to evidence presented at trial, Hussain agreed to house his sister and her family, including two minor daughters, when they legally emigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 2010, and were then culturally and socially isolated with no employment, lack of transportation and the ability to speak English was very low.

During their stay at his house, Hussain developed a romantic and sexual relationship with his 12-year-old niece as he bought her tight, American styled-clothing, romantic jewelry and cell phones, sexually battered her and even started living with her openly in front of her family and his wife, as if she were his spouse, according to a Department of Justice press release.

Hussain’s wife then left him and the relatives even moved out in 2012, including his 12-year-old niece.

For several years afterward, Hussain remained in contact with his niece; he would sign her out of school, linger outside her new residence and even call her.

Hussain also sent many sexually explicit text messages to her, professing his love for her with intention to marry, the press release added.

He also manipulated her into falsifying reports claiming her parents were abusing her.

In November 2012, Hussain traveled to Bangladesh to obtain a false birth certificate that changed his niece’s birth date and made her appear to be three years older.

He then returned to the U.S. and used that birth certificate to fraudulently obtain a new Legal Permanent Resident Card reflecting her new birth year and showed up at her house to take her away from her parents, claiming the she was an adult.

Hussain’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 11.