The now-former principal of Eagle Ridge Middle School in Savage, Minnesota was arrested earlier this week for allegedly offering to pay what he believed to be a 15-year-old girl for sex.
The former principal, Mohamed Ali Selim was apprehended by police in a sting operation after he made arrangements to visit an undercover agent posing as an underage prostitute. He has been dismissed from his position at Eagle Ridge and faces one felony count of agreeing to hire an underage prostitute between the ages of 13 and 16. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and/or a maximum financial penalty of $20,000.
During his conversation with the undercover agent, Selim was sure to clarify that the prostitute he believed he was hiring offered “full service.” Police explain in their criminal complaint that the term “full service is commonly used in commercial sex to indicate sexual intercourse.”
The complaint also details how Salim confirmed the age of the prostitute he believed he was hiring. The undercover agent told him the age of the prostitute they were feigning to be to which Salim reportedly laughed and responded “ok, that’s fine.” The former principal later asked where the two could meet and “spend some time together,” arranged a rendezvous and was arrested with $208 in cash. The undercover agent’s pricing was $250/hour or $175/half hour. Salim had reportedly agreed to a half hour.
Following his arrest, Salim “was distraught and made comments that his life/career was over,” according to police.
Between Salim’s apprehension and when he was formally charged, the school district he worked for released a statement confirming that their principal was indeed “arrested on suspicion of prostitution involving a minor” and “will not be at work at this time.”
“Following these upsetting allegations, the district’s immediate and primary concern is for the well-being of our students,” the district said. “Based on the information the district has seen so far, there’s no indication that District 191 students are involved.”
Three other men were also arrested as part of the same operation that snagged the former principal — however the other three were already out of police custody as of Thursday.
See Salim’s full criminal complaint below:
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