DA: Texas man arrested stalked East Islip woman he met online

A Texas man faces up to 15 years in prison on charges he stalked an East Islip woman he met online, law enforcement officials said in a news release Thursday.

Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini and the Suffolk County Police Department said Adil Khan, 25, of Austin, Texas, was arrested April 3 during a sting operation in which he believed he was meeting the victim in the parking lot of an East Islip restaurant.

When Khan was arrested law enforcement recovered a loaded 9 mm handgun, a loaded high-capacity magazine, and a box containing additional ammunition for the handgun in his vehicle.

"This is a highly disturbing case, and it highlights a common thread we see in many of our cases in which offenders initiate contact with victims over social media under the guise of friendship and end up causing them harm in some way — whether it’s through harassment, like in this case; sextortion; or even rape," Sini said. "This is a good reminder that people need to be extremely cautious about the people they are communicating with online, and I urge any residents receiving threatening or concerning messages to report it to law enforcement.

Khan’s Manhattan-based attorney Paul D'Emilia said in an email that his client has no criminal record and is gainfully employed and called the accusations against him "hyperbolic and inflammatory."

He said his client entered into a consensual internet relationship with the woman in 2019.

"The on-line relationship soured after repeated demands for payment were made by the woman to Adil," the email said. "No threats or violence were ever perpetrated by Adil towards the woman in question."

Khan was indicted Thursday in Suffolk County Supreme Court and charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a Class C violent felony; criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D violent felony; aggravated harassment in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor; and stalking in the fourth degree, a Class B misdemeanor.

Khan initially contacted the victim via Instagram in August 2019 and communicated with her over social media and on the phone until December 2019, at which time the victim asked him to stop contacting her, the release said.

Khan allegedly continued to contact the victim until his arrest on April 3. Law enforcement officials said he sent hundreds of messages a day to the woman using fictitious accounts on various social media apps. He frequently sent her more than 100 text messages in a single day.

He also allegedly sent her numerous messages including telling the victim to kill herself, as well as messages purportedly from other individuals that she had caused Khan to die by suicide.

The victim changed her phone number in 2020, but according to law enforcement Khan allegedly used social media to contact the victim’s friends and family members and offer them up to $500 in exchange for her new phone number.

On April 3, the victim’s mother found a handwritten note on the victim’s car, which was parked in the driveway of her home in East Islip, that said "Do I have your attention now?" Sini's office said Khan then sent the victim a message on Instagram that said, "Did you get the card on your windshield wiper?" He later sent another message asking the victim if she would like to meet in person.

The victim contacted the Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Precinct, whose Crime Section organized the sting operation.

Khan’s bail was set at $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond, or $100,000 partially-secured bond. The court also imposed GPS monitoring and ordered Khan not to return to New York except for court dates.

He is due back in court June 7. D’Emilia said Khan posted bond and is en route back to Texas.