FORT BEND COUNTY – A 61-year-old man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing three children, the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Mohammed Omar Ali, a Quran teacher in the close-knit Somali community, was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
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Ali was found guilty of all three charges on Oct. 29.
After hearing testimony from a fourth child victim, Judge Tameika Carter sentenced Ali to 35 years for the offense of aggravated sexual assault and ten years for each charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact. The sentences will run concurrently.
According to evidence revealed during the trial, prosecutors said Ali used his position as a Quran teacher to gain access to children with whom he then engaged in sexual contact from 2013 until his arrest in 2019.
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“More often than not, child victims don’t disclose sexual abuse. They fear they will not be believed, or worse, they will be believed but nothing will be done to protect them. In this case, the bravery of one child coming forward had the domino effect of inspiring other children to do the same. Because of the children’s bravery, Mohammed Omar Ali was brought to justice and was held accountable for his horrible behavior,” said lead prosecutor Charann Thompson.