A California man has been charged with sex trafficking a minor, following his arrest on March 10, 2025. Ibrahim Abdul-Alim Bin Hajj Yahya Abdul-Malik, aged 37 from San Jose, is accused of trafficking a 17-year-old girl who had been reported missing from Ohio in August 2024.
The charges were announced by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division. Homeland Security Investigations in San Jose and the Arlington Police Department provided assistance in the case.
According to charging documents, law enforcement received information on December 11, 2024, about a minor being advertised for commercial sex acts online in Boston. Undercover officers responded to an advertisement and arranged a meeting at a hotel in Cambridge where they recovered the victim and seized her iPhone as evidence.
Investigators allege that Malik began trafficking the victim around November 13, 2024, posting advertisements on various websites while falsely listing her age as 20 to avoid detection. Messages found on the victim's phone reportedly show Malik directing payments for commercial sex acts to be sent to an account he controlled.
Following an undercover operation on December 11, Malik allegedly fled Boston early the next morning on a flight to San Jose.
If convicted of sex trafficking of children, Malik faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to life imprisonment and fines up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by federal guidelines.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office encourages anyone affected by or aware of commercial sex trafficking activities to reach out via USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes is prosecuting this case under the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit. The defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.