Stanislaus County Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation Offenses Against a Minor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment Thursday against Christian Ceja, 27, of Turlock, charging him with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between Aug. 27, 2023, and Jan. 3, 2024, Ceja transported a minor victim from the Eastern District of California to Idaho with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. In addition, Ceja received images of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Ceja faces a mandatory statutory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for the most serious charged count, and a $250,000 fine per count, plus up to a lifetime of supervised release. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.