San Fernando Valley man accused of online sexual extortion pleads guilty to distributing child pornography

23-year-old man charged an online sex blackmail scheme Sentencing is expected after he pleaded guilty to distributing explicit photographs of minors in the San Fernando Valley, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California confirmed Tuesday.

Sylmar resident Alejandro Garcia Aranda He was arrested in July on a three-count federal indictment For advertising and distributing more than 600 images and videos containing child pornography through the “valleyhoezzz818” Instagram account he created around May 2020.

Authorities said he used the images to shame the girls and blackmail the high school victims by threatening to post more inappropriate content if they did not send more photos.

Read more: Long Beach man pleads guilty to luring 14-year-old boy he met online across state lines for sex

Aranda admitted to selling the footage, according to his plea agreement. Investigators found that Aranda received payments through Cash App, PayPal, Venmo and Zelle from online customers who purchased sexually explicit content. According to court documents, Aranda sent paying customers via Instagram direct message a zip file containing explicit sexual material stored on MEGA, a New Zealand-based file hosting service.

He admitted that the content included “minors engaging in sexually suggestive behavior.” Some of the content featured victims under the age of 12 depicted in a “sadistic or masochistic” environment.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed that Aranda’s sentencing hearing will be held on February 18, 2025. He could face five to 20 years in federal prison.

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This story first appeared on: Los Angeles Times.