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Wilsonville man convicted for possession and transport of child sexual abuse material

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Thursday, December 26, 2024

Wilsonville man convicted for possession and transport of child sexual abuse material

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U.S. Attorney Natalie K. Wight | U.S. Department of Justice

A federal jury in Portland has found Joshan Rohani, a 40-year-old man from Wilsonville, Oregon, guilty of multiple charges related to child sexual abuse material. The verdict includes one count each of accessing with intent to view and possessing child pornography, along with three counts of transporting such material.

Court documents reveal that Rohani created a user account on Mega, a New Zealand-based cloud storage service, in July 2021. This platform allows users to create private chatrooms for sharing files. In November 2021, during an investigation in North Carolina, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents discovered a hyperlink to a Mega chatroom named “Trade links,” where child pornography was being shared.

Further investigation showed that between July and December 2021, Rohani engaged in at least 34 chats involving the distribution of child pornography. He also posted links enabling others to access and download these illicit materials. It was also found that he had an earlier account suspended by Mega in 2019 for similar activities.

On May 24, 2022, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Rohani’s home and seized various electronic devices containing child pornography. Subsequently, on October 16, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted him on six counts related to distributing and possessing such material.

Rohani faces severe penalties including up to 20 years imprisonment per count, fines reaching $250,000 per count, and lifetime supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for June 2, 2025 before U.S. District Court Judge Karin J. Immergut.

The investigation was led by HSI with support from the Newberg-Dundee Police Department and New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Y. Sussman and Mira Chernick are prosecuting the case.

Authorities urge anyone with information about child exploitation to contact HSI or submit tips online through designated channels.

This conviction is part of Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation since its inception in May 2006.

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