A 20-year-old from Rochester will serve no prison time after he was convicted of raping two girls between the ages of 4 and 9, according to Crime Watch Minneapolis.
During his Monday sentencing, presided over by Judge Jacob Allen, Mohamed Bakari Shei received 180 days in local jail and up to 30 years of probation on a felony criminal sexual conduct conviction.
Mohamed Bakari Shei, 20, of Rochester was convicted of raping two girls ages approximately 4 and 8 years old when the abuse began. Charges say the sexual assaults occurred multiple times.
He was sentenced Monday to 180 days in local jail.
This is our @MNCourts system. pic.twitter.com/edXR24xpUS
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) January 31, 2023
A plea deal, orchestrated by prosecutor Thomas Gort, dropped two of the three criminal sexual conduct charges against Shei. All charges will be erased from Shei’s criminal record if he successfully completes his probation, according to the Rochester Post Bulletin. He reportedly agreed to not challenge his certification as an adult in exchange for a stay of adjudication and no prison time.
“There is no moving on or getting over it. I’ve tried,” one of the victims said in court, the Post Bulletin reported.
On at least eight occasions between 2018 and 2019, Shei, who was around 16 years old at the time, sexually assaulted and penetrated a girl who was between 8 and 9 years old, according to a criminal complaint. Shei was the older brother of the victim’s friend, and the incidents happened when the victim came over to play with his sister.
The victim told authorities Shei would express interest in giving her book fair money or buying her toys to coax her into having sex in his bedroom. Shei also told her not to tell anyone about what he did because it “would ruin his life.” On the last occasion, the victim told Shei “no,” but he ignored her.
A second criminal complaint accused Shei of raping a girl more than once between 2017 and 2018 when she was roughly 4 or 5 years old. This victim was also friends with Shei’s younger sister. Like the other victim, Shei would bring her to his bedroom before penetrating her.
Upon investigation, Shei told authorities he knew both girls but denied any sexual contact.
Although Shei will not be required to register as a sex offender, he will have to complete a sex offender program and 200 hours of community service.
Evan Stambaugh
Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.
