Bangladeshi Man Extradited to US, Pleads Not Guilty in Child Exploitation Case

A 28-year-old Bangladeshi national accused of orchestrating an international child sexual exploitation scheme through social media platforms has been extradited to the United States and pleaded not guilty to federal charges in Alaska.

Zobaidul Amin appeared in federal court in Anchorage on Thursday, where he entered pleas of not guilty to multiple counts, including conspiracy to produce and distribute child sexual abuse material, operating a child exploitation enterprise, production and receipt of such material, cyberstalking, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud. The charges stem from a 2022 indictment alleging that Amin targeted hundreds of minor victims, primarily teenage girls in the United States, by posing as a teenager on apps like Instagram and Snapchat to deceive them into sending explicit images and videos.

Prosecutors detailed in court documents how Amin coerced victims through extortion, threatening to distribute their images to friends, family, and online followers if they refused his demands. According to the indictment, he instructed victims that the only way to stop his harassment was to recruit other minors, perpetuating a cycle of abuse. Amin allegedly...