A former senior adviser in the Obama administration, Rahamim Shy, was sentenced to over 11 years in prison for planning to rape a 9-year-old girl in the UK. Shy had spent over a month plotting this crime and traveled from New York to Bedfordshire in February 2024 with the intention of meeting the child. He brought items like “cuddly toys and condoms” and had explicit conversations detailing the acts he intended to commit against her.
Prosecutor Lorraine Telford described Shy as a predator, emphasizing his preparedness to exploit a vulnerable child for his own sexual gratification. He believed he was communicating with the girl's supposed grandmother on an online forum, where he showed a disturbing level of intent regarding the abuse he planned. Unbeknownst to him, the girl was fictitious, and the grandmother was an undercover police officer.
Upon arriving in the UK, Shy was arrested at Gatwick Airport after it was revealed that the person he thought he was communicating with was actually police. Law enforcement found “indecent images of children” and messages on his phone indicating his interest in molesting children.
Shy's defense argued that he should not be prosecuted since he was in the US at the time of planning the crime. However, the Luton Crown Court dismissed this claim. The court noted that the non-existence of the child did not change the nature of Shy's intentions, highlighting the effectiveness of the police operation.
In addition to his role in the Treasury Department, Shy previously provided strategic policy analysis to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was deployed to Afghanistan under Hillary Clinton’s leadership. His conviction ensures he will no longer pose a threat to children.
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