Prosecutor allegedly used his 13-year-old daughter as bait to catch suspected child molester

Posted By: Staff
November 18, 2019 @ 8:22 pm
ABC National

San Jose Police Department

San Jose Police Department(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — A prosecutor in Santa Clara County, California, is under scrutiny for allegedly using his 13-year-old daughter to bait a man who is alleged to have molested her, according to police documents, reported The Mercury News.

The suspect, 76-year-old Ali Mohammad Lajmiri, is now in custody, but the prosecutor’s alleged method of catching the suspect is being called into question.

A prosecutor in Santa Clara County, California, is under scrutiny for allegedly using his 13-year-old daughter to bait a man who is alleged to have molested her, according to police documents, reported The Mercury News.

The suspect, 76-year-old Ali Mohammad Lajmiri, is now in custody, but the prosecutor’s alleged method of catching the suspect is being called into question.

After the police department asked for the public’s help identifying the man, the prosecutor allegedly took his daughter back to the scene and instructed her to walk back and forth on the trail until Lajmiri approached her. They stayed in contact with their cellphones and earbuds, as per the police report provided to The Mercury News.

“He stated that they had already done this several times,” San Jose Detective Sgt. Sean Pierce wrote in the police report.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the matter or on the prosecutor’s actions, but released a statement saying, “As in all cases of sexual assault, our hearts go out to the victim and her family,” Assistant District Attorney Terry Harman said in the statement. “We have recused ourselves from the handling of any filing decision and prosecution of any matters related to this situation.”

Lajmiri is being held in the Santa Clara County jail on $3 million bail. He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 29.