An Iranian man who ran a smuggling ring that assisted illegal immigrants from Iran, including an associate of that nation’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, pled guilty to federal charges Tuesday.
Sharon Gohari was also caught with a bundle of child sex abuse videos on his phone, as well as photos authorities said were taken while stalking and recording women in New York City.
Prosecutors described Gohari, an Iranian who naturalized as a U.S. citizen, as a “professional alien smuggler” who helped Iranians get to Mexico, usually by way of Turkey. He then had a team in Tijuana that helped them make it across the U.S. border.
One of those is a man who’d carried out jobs for the IRGC. Gohari helped him reach the U.S. in 2021, authorities said. The IRGC is deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
When investigators caught up with Gohari, they found videos on his phone depicting child rape, as well as videos and photos of women out and about in New York. Some of those photos appeared to be attempting to look up the women’s skirts.
Authorities said Gohari, 48, exchanged images with Iranian-based accounts.
“Sharon Gohari threatened our national security by selling illegal entry into the United States – including a client with ties to a designated terrorist organization,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office.
Authorities said his smuggling operation ran from at least late 2020 through last May.
He helped Iranians get travel visas to get into Mexico, and could also hook them up with fake travel documents, including bogus U.S. travel visas or green cards.
