Afghan national residing in Arlington sentenced to 35 years in federal prison in child exploitation case
FORT WORTH, Texas / Thursday, October 1, 2026 — United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced that Badshah Sahi, a 21-year-old Afghan national, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for producing and possessing child pornography on Sept. 29.
Sahi pleaded guilty to production and possession of child pornography charges on April 1. U.S. Senior District Judge Terry R. Means imposed the 420-month sentence to run consecutive to his outstanding state proceedings.
“This lengthy sentence sends a resounding message: Child predators will find no safe harbor in the Northern District of Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “We will find them and ensure they face the full weight of federal prosecution. Our commitment to protecting children is absolute, and we hope this outcome serves as a clear deterrent to anyone contemplating similar crimes.”
“This dangerous child sex offender was recklessly released into the United States without proper vetting during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and went on to prey on innocent children both here in North Texas and online,” said HSI Dallas acting Special Agent in Charge Antwoine Jones. “Thankfully, working with our law enforcement partners, we were able to remove him from the local community and ensure he spends the next 35 years behind bars where he won’t be able to harm any more children.”
According to court documents, the Forney Police Department arrested Sahi for sexual assault of a child on Feb. 28, 2025. Officers believed Sahi was communicating with a 14-year-old minor female from his residence in Arlington, Texas. Sahi would pick up the minor female from outside her home in Forney and transport her to various locations to sexually assault her.
A search of Sahi’s phone at the time of his arrest revealed numerous images and videos of a prepubescent female child and communication with other minors online. On at least one occasion, Sahi utilized the gaming platform Roblox to coerce a minor child in Indiana to create and send him sexually explicit videos at his direction. The minor victim was 10 years old, which was revealed to Sahi during the course of their communications.
Additional forensic records revealed that Sahi communicated with a 15-year-old minor female in San Marcos, Texas and drove to her location where he recorded himself sexually assaulting the minor victim.
Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, the Arlington Police Department, the Forney Police Department, the Green County Sheriff’s Office and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allyson Monte from the Fort Worth Division prosecuted the case.
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas
