LOS ANGELES
A San Bernardino County man who posed online as a teenage boy and enticed a 15-year-old girl to have a sexual relationship before bringing her to Mexico has been found guilty on all federal charges he faced after a four-day trial, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Daniel Navarro, 41, of Victorville, who sometimes posed online as “Angel,” was found guilty late Thursday of two counts of sexual exploitation of a child for the purpose of producing a sexually explicit visual depiction, one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, one count of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of transportation of child pornography.
Navarro was arrested in July 2022 as he entered the United States from Mexico, 10 days after he brought the victim to Mexico just before her quinceañera. The victim, an Arizona girl who was spending the summer in the Central Coast town of Nipomo, was rescued by Mexican authorities from a Tijuana residence after Navarro’s arrest.
He remains in federal custody.
According to evidence presented at trial, Navarro had an online relationship with this victim. A review of one of his Instagram accounts revealed conversations between Navarro and this victim on her Instagram account in which Navarro professed his love for this victim and discussed having sex with her to impregnate her.
Navarro transported this victim from San Luis Obispo County to Tijuana, Mexico, with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Navarro also used Instagram to distribute child pornography to this minor and to transport child pornography on his phone as he traveled from Tijuana, Mexico, up to San Luis Obispo County before making the return trip to Tijuana.
The evidence at trial also showed that Navarro used Instagram to persuade, induce, and entice a second victim to send him sexual images.
U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled an October 24 sentencing hearing. At that time, Navarro will face up to life imprisonment.
The FBI and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this matter.