HILLSBORO, Ore.- On February 1, 2019, Washington County Judge Theodore Sims sentenced Muhammad Laftah Hasan to 48 months in prison. Hasan pleaded guilty to First Degree Attempted Sexual Abuse and Third Degree Sexual Abuse in January of 2019. The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Megan Johnson.

Tigard Police began investigating Hasan in 2017 after a parent contacted officers with concerns that her daughter was abused by Hasan. Hasan was running the American Islamic Center for the Holy Qur’an in Tigard at the time, where the victim was undergoing his instruction.

Detective Kevin Dresser of the Tigard Police Department began investigating the case and determined the abuse began as early as 2016. Detectives also discovered a second victim who reported similar abuse by Hasan. Hasan was arrested without incident at his home in Corvallis, Oregon in December of 2017.

“This case is a sobering reminder of the fact that adults will exploit positions of trust and authority in any context to gain access to children,” Johnson said of Hasan’s actions. “The fact that these victims were able to come forward in this situation speaks to their courage. We know that most people will never be able to disclose a history of childhood sexual abuse at all, let alone at the hands of someone dearly loved and venerated in their community. Mr. Hasan’s guilty plea and this sentence ensure the protection of children going forward and is serves as his public acknowledgement of guilt.”

Hasan has worked with children across several communities in both Oregon and Washington. Investigators fear there could be additional victims who haven’t yet come forward. Anyone with information about additional abuse should call law enforcement immediately.

In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Sims also ordered Hasan to undergo 10 years of post-prison supervision, to submit a DNA sample, to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, to pay more than $5,000 in restitution and to have no contact with minors except for his daughter. Hasan will also serve five years of probation. Hasan will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.