Sharon Gohari, an Iranian national, has pled guilty in a federal court in Brooklyn to charges involving the smuggling of aliens into the United States and the receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Residing in Roslyn, New York, Gohari, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was involved in alien smuggling activities dating back to December 2020 until his arrest in May 2025. Court documents reveal he received payments from Iranian nationals and others aiming to unlawfully enter the country.
He facilitated their entry mainly through Mexico, assisting in obtaining travel visas from the Mexican embassy in Iran, and coordinating their journey through Mexico and into the U.S., often transporting large groups.
Additionally, Gohari supported individuals in traversing South and Central America en route to the United States with the help of various associates in Iran, charging thousands of dollars for his services, according to a Justice Department press release.
Notably, one individual he assisted had connections to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), recognized by the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. In early 2021, Gohari helped this individual travel from Iran to Turkey, then Mexico, and eventually into the United States.
This person was later apprehended by border patrol and admitted involvement in tasks for the IRGC while in Iran and Malaysia.
CASE UPDATE from @NewYorkFBI: New York-Based Iranian National Pleads Guilty to Alien Smuggling and Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material
Sharon Gohari, a naturalized U.S. citizen and who resided alternately in Iran and Nassau County, New York, solicited and received payments… pic.twitter.com/fYEbxSTm5P
— FBI (@FBI) May 12, 2026
During the investigation into Gohari’s smuggling operations, federal agents found CSAM on his phone, comprising videos depicting the rape of children as young as five.
Further communications revealed his alarming intentions to seek sexual partners from a high school. Agents recovered numerous images and videos from his devices, showing women in various public settings across New York City, suggesting invasive behavior like attempting to capture undergarments.
Some images indicated that he had stalked these women, and he shared some of this content with an Iranian account from which he had previously received CSAM.
“This case underscores the importance of a secure border for national security. Gohari profited from smuggling aliens, at least one with connections to the IRGC, a recognized terrorist group. I commend those who enabled today’s plea, keeping this individual from our streets,” stated Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
For receiving CSAM, Gohari faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, with a potential maximum of 20 years. For his alien smuggling activities, the minimum sentence is three years, with a maximum of 10 years.
