Turlock man gets prison for luring teen into sex. They spent months in Idaho camper
A Turlock man will spend 15 years and eight months in federal prison for having sex with a teenage girl over nearly four months.
Cristian Ceja, 28, was sentenced Tuesday, May 13, by U.S. District Judge John Mendez in Sacramento. Ceja was accused of meeting the then-15-year-old victim while delivering food to her home as part of his job. A news release said he later took her to live for several months in a northwest Idaho trailer that lacked water and heat.
The release was from Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. The case grew out of a missing-person report to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office.
Defendant pleaded guilty in November
Ceja pleaded guilty in November to transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was arrested Jan. 3, 2024, at his trailer in Kamiah, Idaho, where the victim also was found.
The release said the victim’s mother first contacted law enforcement on Aug. 26, 2023, after finding “provocative” photos suggesting she was involved with an adult. Ceja had used the phone number from the delivery order to pursue the victim on social media, the release said.
“During the course of their sexual relationship, Ceja would sneak into the minor victim’s bedroom to have sex with her without being detected by her parents,” the release said. “On at least two occasions, Ceja video recorded himself engaging in sexual contact with the minor victim. Ceja kept used condoms and used feminine hygiene products in his storage unit as souvenirs of his relationship with the minor victim.”
Week in Nevada preceded Idaho
The release said Ceja fled with the victim the day after the mother’s report, first for a week’s stay in Nevada. The town was not disclosed. The release said the victim eventually used social media in Idaho “to let her family know that she wanted to come home but could not leave on her own.”
The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office went to the trailer to rescue her and arrest Ceja. Temperatures can drop well below freezing during the winter in that area, but the release did not mention any effects on the girl.
“While on the run,” the release added, “Ceja attempted to evade detection by placing stolen license plates on his vehicle, obliterating the VIN from his vehicle’s dashboard, spray painting the vehicle a different color and adopting a false name. To avoid detection, Ceja discarded his cell phone while in flight and used a ‘burner’ phone.”
Sentences can range from 10 years to life under federal guidelines for this charge. Ceja’s plea agreement said a term near the lower end is possible “if the defendant clearly demonstrates acceptance of responsibility for his conduct.” That includes interviews with probation officers before sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea Kenny prosecuted the case. It was part of Project Safe Childhood, launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice against child sexual exploitation and abuse.
This story was originally published May 14, 2025 at 2:55 PM.
