United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy | U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy | U.S. Department of Justice
A former anesthesiologist at Tufts Medical Center has been convicted by a federal jury of attempted sex trafficking of a child. Sadeq Ali Quraishi, 47, was found guilty of one count of attempted sex trafficking of a child. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley has scheduled sentencing for January 28, 2024. Quraishi was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2022.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy stated, "The trafficking of women and minors for commercial sex is ever present in our communities and sex buyers from all walks of life drive this demand." He added that as a practicing physician, Quraishi was expected to possess strong ethical standards but instead engaged in negotiations with an undercover agent posing as a trafficker to buy sex with a purported 14-year-old girl.
Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England commented on the case: "As a society, we put our trust in doctors and hold them to the highest ethical standards. Quraishi betrayed that trust by seeking out and attempting to pay to sexually abuse a child."
In November 2022, while still working as an anesthesiologist at Tufts Medical Center, Quraishi responded to an online advertisement offering commercial sex with two young girls. He agreed via text messages with undercover agents posing as sellers to pay $250 for sexual services from the supposed 14-year-old girl. After withdrawing cash from an ATM, he traveled from his Boston home to meet the purported seller at a Waltham hotel where he was arrested.
The charge carries severe penalties including a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment and potentially up to life imprisonment along with supervised release terms and fines.
For those impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, assistance can be sought through USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Levy alongside HSI SAC Krol. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty and Lauren A. Graber.
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