Gonzalo Hernandez, 38, of Oakdale, pleaded guilty on April 27 to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. According to court documents, between August 2, 2021 and November 13, 2023, Hernandez produced sexually explicit surreptitious video recordings of a minor on at least ten occasions and distributed some images through social media. Authorities said Hernandez was aware the victim was under the age of eighteen. In March 2024, Hernandez posed as a fifteen-year-old boy on social media and persuaded another minor to create and send an explicit image.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oakdale Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting it.
Hernandez is scheduled for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on August 17, where he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years in prison and up to thirty years for each count along with a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined by the court after considering statutory factors and federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice—to combat child sexual exploitation using federal, state, and local resources for investigation and prosecution as well as victim rescue efforts.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California promotes community wellness by addressing justice issues across its diverse region according to the official website. The office maintains locations in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield according to the official website, operates under the U.S. Department of Justice according to the official website, covers more than eighty-seven thousand square miles across thirty-four counties according to the official website, enforces federal laws through criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits according to the official website, extends its reach from Oregon southward to Bakersfield and eastward toward Nevada according to the official website, represents all litigation in its district while maintaining branches in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield serving thirty-four counties over more than eighty-seven thousand square miles according to the official website.
