Former National Guard Member Pleads Guilty to Using the Internet to Commit Sexual Exploitation Offenses While Stationed in Qatar
Originally published as a US DOJ press release –
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jaziz Jesahias Cea, 23, formerly of Galt, pleaded guilty today to transportation of child pornography and receipt of child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Cea used internet communications platforms and social media to commit the offenses. In particular, on May 13, 2018, Cea uploaded to his YouTube channel child pornography videos showing prepubescent girls being abused by adult males. Cea also separately used his Skype account to receive child pornography videos depicting prepubescent minor females being sexually exploited, to share links to such material, and to communicate with others about his interest in sexually exploiting children.
Between September 2017 and July 2018, Cea was a member of the California National Guard serving on active duty with the United States Army in Qatar. He was discharged from the California National Guard on July 23, 2020, under other than honorable conditions.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and the Galt Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rosanne Rust and Christina McCall are prosecuting the case.
Cea is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on July 22. The two counts to which Cea pleaded guilty carry a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
