A former senior advisor to Barack Obama has been sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison.
Rahamim Shy, 47, was arrested in February 2024 by police in the United Kingdom after travelling to the country with a view to meeting a nine-year-old girl for sex.
Shy had reportedly planned the meeting for around a month, speaking with an individual named “Debbie” who said she was the child’s grandmother, the BBC reports.
However, the woman in question was an undercover police officer.
During his trial, the court heard how Shy had described in gruesome detail how he would abuse the girl, despite the fact that her age of nine was a “tad late.”
Nevertheless, he insisted it would be an “honor” to be “her first.”
Upon his arrest, law enforcement found toys and condoms in his luggage, while his phone contained indecent images of children.
On Wednesday, Shy was found guilty at Luton Crown Court of arranging the commission of a child sex offence and possessing indecent photographs of a child.
He was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison, although the nature of Britain’s penal system means that he will likely serve around half of that time.
Breaking News
Rahamim Shy, 47, a former advisor to @BarackObama & banker flew to Britain to rape, what he thought was a 9 year old girl, but it was a sting by @bedspolice. In his luggage were cuddly toys & condoms.
He was jailed for 11.5 years.https://t.co/aJVKImPtV2 pic.twitter.com/qpLn8F7lIO
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) January 30, 2025
Lorraine Telford of the Crown Prosecution Service described him as “a predator who was fully prepared to commit unspeakable acts against a child for his own sexual gratification.”
“It was clear from his explicit conversations and items he brought to England that he had only one intention, to commit rape against what he knew was a vulnerable child.”
“The fact the child in this case did not exist makes no difference,” she added.
Shy previously served as a senior policy adviser in the Obama administration, focusing on counterterrorism efforts, as well as under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Between 2008 and 2014, he worked within the U.S. Treasury Department, advising the White House on strategies to combat terrorism financing from groups such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
In 2009, Shy testified before Congress on security issues in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He also collaborated with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to finalize matters related to terrorism and security.
