No prison time in plea deal for Rochester man facing rape charges against juveniles under 10

Mark Wasson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read
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Dec. 6—ROCHESTER — A 20-year-old Rochester man charged with raping two juvenile females will serve no prison time in a plea agreement submitted Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Olmsted County District Court.

Mohamed Bakari Shei appeared before District Judge Jacob Allen for three different felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges in two separate cases.

Shei entered an Alford plea Tuesday, meaning that while he does not admit guilt, he admits that a jury would convict him based on the evidence.

The plea agreement calls for no prison time and a stay of adjudication. If Shei completes his probation, the charges against him will be dismissed and will not be on his adult record. A third charge of felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct will be dismissed and Shei must register as a predatory offender.

Shei was 15- and 16-years-old at the time of the sexually assaults and he was initially charged in juvenile court. He was certified for adult prosecution in November.

One of the juveniles in this case was around 9-years-old

and the other juvenile was between 4- and 5-years old at the time of the sexual assaults.

The plea deal is an agreement between Shei's defense counsel, Doda McGeeney, and the Olmsted County Attorney's Office, which means that if the court accepts the deal, it would be bound by the agreement.

Allen called the agreement a "substantial benefit" for Shei during Tuesday's hearing and ordered Shei to report to probation offices following the hearing. Allen ordered that Shei continued to be released on his own recognizance provided he have no contact with the victims.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30 and several victim impact statements are expected to be submitted.

According to court documents:

A female juvenile reported to a Rochester police investigator in April 2020 that Shei first raped her on Mother's Day in 2018 at a Rochester residence. The juvenile would have been around 9 years old on that date. Shei would have been around 16 years old.

Shei told her that he would give her money for a book fair at school or buy her toys, the juvenile told police.

A different juvenile told an RPD investigator in June 2021 that Shei had raped them several times at the same residence during the same time period.

Shei denied raping the juvenile to investigators.