Oakdale man pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of minor, federal prosecutors say
An Oakdale man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge involving the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
Gonzalo Hernandez, 38, entered the plea Monday to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Hernandez produced sexually explicit video recordings of a minor on at least 10 occasions between Aug. 2, 2021, and Nov. 13, 2023. Prosecutors said he later distributed some of those images through social media and was aware the victim was under 18.
In March 2024, Hernandez also posed online as a 15-year-old boy and used social media to persuade a second minor to create and send at least one sexually explicit image, authorities said.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oakdale Police Department.
Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 17 by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd.
He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years, along with a possible $250,000 fine. The final sentence will be determined by the court after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
