A 2024 child sex sting in Auburn ended with a judge handing down the harshest possible sentence, despite a last-ditch challenge to the verdict, according to The Citizen. Prosecutors said the case involved men who traveled to meet what they believed was an underage girl, only to encounter law enforcement.
Authorities later identified the defendant as Junayd M. Abdulkhafid, 44, of Syracuse. Thomas Leone sentenced him to four years in prison plus 10 years of supervision in Cayuga County Court after rejecting claims of flawed testimony and an abandoned crime.
The conviction stemmed from a multi-agency sting that also led to two other convictions and a suicide. Abdulkhafid plans to appeal the ruling.
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