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Former Gaylord College assistant professor convicted of felony, receives 10-year suspended sentence

Gaylord Hall

A photo of Gaylord Hall on March 2, 2020.

 Ellory Myers/The Daily

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A former OU Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication assistant professor received a felony conviction on Thursday for making lewd proposals to a child under 16. 

Imran Hasnat, 32, pled guilty via a video call to the charge and received a 10-year suspended sentence. Hasnat was additionally charged with sending obscene material to a minor, but the charge was dropped Thursday. 

Steve Stice, Hasnat’s defense attorney, said during the disposition that Hasnat was deported to his home country in Bangladesh. Given this felony conviction, it is unlikely that he will return to the U.S., according to Alexis White, public information officer for the Cleveland County District Attorney’s office.

Hasnat was arrested on Aug. 23 after a Cleveland County deputy posed online as a 14-year-old and agreed to meet with Hasnat, according to a district court affidavit. The initial contact with Hasnat stemmed from an investigation into sexual predators’ use of technology to solicit sexual conduct with minors. 

On the same day, Hasnat traveled from his Norman residence to a predetermined location intending to meet with and have sex with the minor. He was then met by officers and arrested. 

He was reportedly hired at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh in January, according to his LinkedIn, two months before his scheduled preliminary hearing conference on Wednesday.

Hasnat was also not present at a scheduled preliminary hearing on Nov. 29 and again on March 1. 

Hasnat was convicted for making lewd comments to an individual, electronically sending a photograph of male genitalia and requesting nude photographs in return. The comments were allegedly made after Hasnat was told the person he was speaking with was a minor, according to the affidavit.

This story was edited by Alexia Aston and Karoline Leonard.

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