SANTA ANA, California
An Orange County man was found guilty by a jury Wednesday of federal child sexual exploitation crimes for befriending a 13-year-old girl, providing her with alcohol, and sexually assaulting her, taking photographs and making videos of the attack, officials stated.
Jonathan Gonzalez-Reyes, 38, of Anaheim, was found guilty of one count of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
He has been in federal custody since June 2024.
According to evidence presented at a three-day trial in February 2021, Gonzalez-Reyes and a co-defendant, Nanci Jasmin Castillo, 32, of Anaheim, befriended the victim, a 13-year-old girl identified in court documents as “Minor Victim 1.”
At Castillo’s home, Castillo and Gonzalez-Reyes sexually assaulted the victim, to whom Castillo had given an alcoholic beverage after the victim had previously taken Xanax anti-anxiety medication, while the victim was going in and out of consciousness. Gonzalez-Reyes and Castillo photographed and made videos of the attack.
A search of Gonzalez-Reyes’ phone and Castillo’s iCloud account by law enforcement revealed the existence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the victim and the defendants. Additionally, law enforcement found evidence that Gonzalez-Reyes sent copies of the CSAM to Castillo.
In September 2021, Gonzalez-Reyes used a cellphone to knowingly possess and distribute images of the same victim, knowing the photos showed a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter scheduled a July 28 sentencing hearing.
Castillo, who also has been in federal custody since June 2024, pleaded guilty on February 5 to one count of production of child pornography.
She, too, will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years at her sentencing hearing, scheduled for July 28.
The FBI investigated this matter with assistance from the Anaheim Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea Norell of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Blake Hannah of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.