A California man has pleaded guilty to a child exploitation offense in federal court. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, Jose Nunez, 26, of Santa Clarita, admitted to receiving child pornography after waiving his right to be indicted. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven.
Authorities stated that in February 2024, Nunez began communicating with a 13-year-old girl from Connecticut through Roblox, an online gaming and chat platform. The conversation moved to text messaging, during which Nunez sent sexually explicit photos of himself to the minor and later requested and received similar images from her on his smartphone.
Nunez was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents on August 7, 2024. A search of his phone uncovered evidence of conversations with the victim as well as sexually explicit images involving the minor.
“Nunez pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.”
He has been detained since his arrest and no sentencing date has been set.
The investigation was conducted by HSI and the Cromwell Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings is prosecuting the case with help from the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Middlesex.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice focused on protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
Reports related to child exploitation can be submitted at www.cybertipline.com.
