Man Sentenced To 35 Years For Sex Crimes In Fort Bend County

RICHMOND, TX — A Houston man was sentenced to 35 years for aggravated sexual assault of a child in Fort Bend County, court documents show.

Mohamed Omar Ali, 61, of Houston was convicted of the charge as well as a pair of indecency with a child through sexual contact charges Friday. Judge Tameika Carter of the 400th District Court sentenced him to 35 years for the aggravated sexual assault charge and 10 years for each of the indecency charges. He will serve the sentences concurrently, court documents show.

Four victims testified during the trial and sentencing, authorities said.

Ali filed an appeal, which was assigned to the First Court of Appeals in Houston, according to court documents.

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The aggravated sexual assault charge stems from 2017, and Ali was abusing victims beginning in 2013 until he was arrested in 2019. Ali got close to his victims through his role as a teacher of the Quran, prosecutors said.

"People with easy access to children; such as relatives, friends, or neighbors, can take advantage of their relationship to abuse children," Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton said. "In this case, the offender hid behind the cloak of providing religious education. The abuse he committed was an abominable betrayal of the trust and innocence of the children he hurt and an aberration to all religions, including Islam. I am grateful for the courage and fortitude of the young witnesses who testified at this trial."