Faces at least 15 years: The 29-year-old will challenge some evidence
Salt Lake Tribune
In a trial that lasted less than an hour, a Draper man accused of persuading teenage girls to perform sex acts and filming them was convicted Monday of three counts of production of child pornography.
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Arash Alexander Zarif faces a minimum term of 15 years when sentenced Aug. 2 by U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell, who found him guilty.
The 29-year-old was found guilty in a stipulated bench trial, a procedure used when most of the facts of a case are undisputed but the defendant wants to keep the right to appeal certain legal issues. In this type of trial, the judge reviews the evidence and arrives at a verdict.
Zarif is challenging the seizure of some of the evidence, contending that the search warrant was based on some inaccurate information.
Police say Zarif paid two 16-year-old girls to have sex with several men at his home, then gave them vodka and filmed them naked in a bathtub. They also say they found an explicit video of him with another girl.
Under a deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office, charges of enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution and illegal possession of a firearm were dropped after Zarif was convicted on the child pornography counts.
- Pamela Manson