MIAMI — A man flying from the Dominican Republic was arrested at Miami International Airport over the weekend after federal agents said a cellphone search revealed screenshots of him raping and sexually abusing a young girl.
Haythem Zahidi, 30, of Manlius, New York, is now facing two charges in Miami federal court related to the possession and transportation of child sexual abuse material.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Zahidi arrived on an American Airlines flight from Santo Domingo on Saturday and was selected for a border search by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
A Homeland Security Investigations agent wrote that CBP officers found child sexual abuse images and videos on his iPhone.
A further review of the phone by the HSI agent showed a WhatsApp conversation featuring screenshots of an apparent call between Zahidi and a person described as a “conspirator,” the complaint states.
Authorities said those screenshots showed Zahidi victimizing a girl under 5 years old.
Zahidi was also pictured in non-explicit photos with the girl, according to the complaint.
Investigators said Zahidi also sent photos and videos of other victims, between 6 and 11 years old, to the “conspirator,” who was not identified in court documents.
The court documents don’t indicate whether any of the photos or videos ― which agents say were sent from August through October ― had any connection with Zahidi’s travel to the Dominican Republic.
Zahidi “invoked his right to speak with an attorney” during an interview, authorities said.
He was initially taken north to be booked into the Broward County jail, but, as of Tuesday, he was being held in the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami, online records show.
Federal court records don’t list any upcoming hearings in Zahidi’s case.
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