A Roslyn man who federal prosecutors say helped smuggle Iranian nationals into the United States – including a man tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – has pleaded guilty to alien smuggling and receiving child sexual abuse material.
Sharon Gohari, 48, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn to unlawfully smuggling people into the country and intentionally receiving child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Federal officials said Gohari, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Iran, lived in Nassau County while frequently traveling between the United States and Iran. Prosecutors said he operated the smuggling scheme from at least December 2020 through his arrest in May 2025.
Authorities said Gohari charged thousands of dollars to help Iranian nationals and others illegally enter the United States, primarily through Mexico. Investigators said he helped clients obtain travel visas through the Mexican embassy in Iran and coordinated travel routes through Central and South America before they crossed into the United States.
According to prosecutors, at least one individual Gohari helped enter the country had ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a group designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.
Federal officials said that in early 2021, Gohari arranged travel for the individual from Iran to Turkey, then to Mexico, and eventually into the United States, where the person was detained by Border Patrol agents. Authorities said the individual later admitted to carrying out assignments for the IRGC in Iran and Malaysia.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the case involved both national security risks and the exploitation of vulnerable victims.
“The defendant exploited and endangered vulnerable individuals for profit, over and over again,” Nocella said in a statement. “In doing so, he also put our national security at risk and circumvented the vital procedures that are in place to vet those entering our country.”
During the investigation into the smuggling operation, federal agents said they uncovered child sexual abuse material on Gohari’s phone, including videos depicting the rape of children as young as 5 years old.
Investigators also said they found hundreds of photos and videos showing women throughout New York City who appeared to have been secretly photographed or recorded in public places, including trains and cafes.
According to prosecutors, some images appeared to be taken in attempts to look underneath women’s clothing, while others suggested the women had been followed across multiple locations. Authorities said Gohari shared some of those images and videos with Iranian-based online accounts that also distributed child sexual abuse material.
Federal officials from the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the NYPD all participated in the investigation.
Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg said the case highlights concerns surrounding border security and transnational criminal networks.
“Gohari made a business of smuggling aliens into the United States, at least one of whom had ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated foreign terrorist organization,” Eisenberg said.
For the child sexual abuse material conviction, Gohari faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and up to 20 years behind bars. The alien smuggling charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years and a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The case was heard before U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly in Brooklyn. Sentencing is scheduled for a later date.
