A St. Paul man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child who had been trusted to his care was sentenced Wednesday to 364 days in the Ramsey County workhouse, with credit for 138 days served, on a felony count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Akeem Adebayo Lamina, 56, pleaded guilty on Sept. 5 in Ramsey County Court to one felony count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. As part of a plea agreement, the prosecution agreed to dismiss one felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Lamina is required to register as a predatory offender for the remainder of his life.

Akeem Adebayo Lamina. (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Judge DeAnne Hilgers stayed a three-year prison term for five years, during which Lamina will be on supervised probation.

According to court records, St. Paul police received a report in early 2020 of sexual assault of a child by Lamina. The child told a teacher that Lamina had taken her into his office and exposed himself.

The girl was brought to the Midwest Children’s Resource Center for an examination, where she disclosed details of several other incidents when Lamina sexually assaulted her. She said the instances happened at both his home and Laminer’s Maplewood grocery store, located in the 2000 block of East Minnehaha Avenue, where religious classes were held. Laminer did not teach the classes, according to Maplewood officials.

Investigators learned at the time that the child’s mother is a friend of Lamina’s wife and that the couple often provided child care for the girl and her two brothers at their St. Paul home.

In a third case, Lamina was convicted by a jury of one felony count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor for assaulting an 11-year-old girl at the store during 2018 and 2019. He was given a three-year prison sentence which was stayed for 10 years of supervised probation by Ramsey County. He was also sentenced to 138 days, time that he had already served.

In a victim impact statement by a child’s mother read Wednesday, the mother called for the maximum sentence for Lamina. She described the lifelong trauma brought by Lamina, who had been trusted by others with the care of their children, and the bravery of her child.

Hilgers said Lamina had destroyed the trust others had placed in him as a care provider and faith leader. Following Lamina’s address to the court where he mentioned the loss and trauma he had experienced over the last several years, Hilgers said she couldn’t imagine a “more selfish” way to respond.

“…stop abusing little girls. Stop ruining their lives,” Hilgers said.

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