Former university employee charged with attempted enticement of a minor

According to the South Carolina Department of Justice, 38-year-old Mohammad Ebrahim Torki Harchegani is accused of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with an officer who he believed was a 14-year-old girl. (Photo: RCSD)

Photo: Richland County Sheriff's Department

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– A former researcher at the University of South Carolina has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor for sexual activity, says the DOJ.

According to the South Carolina Department of Justice, 38-year-old Mohammad Ebrahim Torki Harchegani is accused of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with an officer who he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

Harchegani who is a legal permanent resident of the United States and an Iranian citizen, eventually went to the home where he believed the alleged girl was at alone to engage in sexual activities with her, says DOJ officials.

He was arrested after the attempt to meet up.

During a contested bond hearing, it was revealed that on December 3, and December 4, multiple agencies participated in an online chat operation targeting child sex offenders where an officer posed as a 14-year-old female, that led to the arrest of Harchegani.

Harchegani was ordered to be detained at the hearing, and he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

After his arrest the university suspended his employment and did not renew his contract.