Former Martinez school employee guilty of child sexual exploitation
MARTINEZ – A former Martinez school employee was convicted last week of three counts of child sexual exploitation for a 2018 incident during which he tried to meet a minor in Pleasant Hill for sex.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said Friday that a jury convicted 37-year-old Ahmed Kamal Ismaiel on Thursday on three felony violations, including unlawful electronic contact with a minor and arranging to meet a minor for sex.
Members of the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Ismaiel on April 6, 2018, when he arrived at a parking lot in Pleasant Hill to meet the minor.
He was charged with three felony counts of child sexual exploitation and released on bail pending trial.
At the time of his arrest, Ismaiel worked as a network engineer for the Martinez Unified School District. Prosecutors said that during the trial, they established Ismaiel attempted to coerce and entice a person he reasonably believed to be a 14-year-old girl into meeting him for sex.
"The defendant's behavior was clear, unambiguous, and unacceptable," said deputy district attorney Chris Sansoe, in a statement. "Not only that, but so were his attempts to excuse this behavior."
The D.A.'s office said the former Martinez resident engaged in sexually suggestive communications with the minor, sent her sexually suggestive photos, and arranged to meet the minor for sex. Prior to that meeting, Ismaiel stopped at a local grocery store to purchase condoms.
Ismaiel faces a maximum prison term of four years and a $5,000 fine. He's in custody while awaiting his April 7 sentencing.
