A Tucson man, Shams Khan Rehman, pleaded guilty on June 8, to two counts of Production of Child Pornography.
According to the plea agreement, the 31-year-old Rehman admitted that he used Snapchat to communicate with individuals whom he paid to exploit several minors under the age of 12. At Rehman’s direction, those individuals produced images and videos documenting the abuse and sent the files to him.
According to the Justice Department, the plea agreement further states that Rehman also redistributed some of the produced images and videos to other Snapchat users.
A conviction for Production of Child Pornography carries maximum penalties of 30 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000, and lifetime supervised release.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 3, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Angela M. Martinez.