Man who coerced Tri-Cities girl into online sex crimes ordered to prison

A 28-year-old man in Maryland has been sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after persuading a Kennewick preteen to video call while naked in exchange for pay.

She told Talha Ahmed she wanted money for “Robux” used as currency in a video game popular with children, according to federal court documents.

Ahmed will also have to pay $15,600 in restitution and register as a sex offender, according to court documents. He will serve his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Elkton in Ohio, where he will be required to participate sex offender treatment programs.

U.S. Assistant Attorney Laurel Holland asked Judge Mary Dimke in court documents to sentence Ahmed for 15 years in prison followed by 25 years of supervised release.

Holland was particularly concerned that based on comments by Ahmed and his mother in a presentence report that Ahmed does not, or will not, understand his actions that led to his arrest, according to a court document.

An understanding is imperative to protect the public from defendants’ crimes in the future, Holland argued.

Ahmed’s attorney asked for a sentence of 10 years in prison.

Ahmed was originally charged with attempted production of child pornography and attempted online enticement of a minor, but in a plea agreement the charge related to child pornography was dropped.

Kennewick police were alerted to the crime when the child’s mother arrived at the Kennewick Police Department in May 2021 to report that a man had requested sexually explicit images and video of her daughter. She had checked the girl’s phone and found nude image and video files, according to a court document

The girl met Ahmed on an online app, according to court documents.

He initially sent her $8 via Apple cash for her to perform sexually explicit acts in May 2021, and when she asked him if that was all he was going to send, he sent her another $8, but told her he had sent $32, according to a court document.

Later that night, as the girl’s family slept, Ahmed convinced her to connect with him again on Facetime and sent her more money. The child sent the defendant more than 15 explicit images and videos within 24 hours and received a total of $44, as found in an investigation by a Kennewick police detective.

Ahmed was indicted in June 2024 and arrested the next month in Maryland.

His attorney, Nick Mirr of Yakima, said Ahmed had a history of alcohol and Xanax abuse from 2017 to 2021.

“Mr. Ahmed understands and accepts the gravity of his mistake,” Mirr said in a court document.

The incident has continued to negatively affect the victim in the case, according to court documents.

The judge said during the sentencing hearing that Ahmed’s crime was “an offense that has lifelong implications for the victim ... and create(s) emotional insecurity that lasts a lifetime.”

“We commend the child’s mother, whose courage in contacting authorities was crucial to securing Ahmed’s prison time for this horrific crime of soliciting child sexual abuse material,” said April Miller, acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Kennewick Police Department.

This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 4:48 PM.