A guy from Ventura County, who is 28 years old and out on bail, is being charged with 9 felonies for distributing and having child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The charges were made public on Tuesday.
The suspect, Angel Martinez, is from Oxnard. The investigation into him began in July when the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Unit of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office was watching a file-sharing network and saw illegal materials being sent from an Oxnard apartment.
For the search warrant at the house in the 2900 block of Albany Drive on November 16, which was carried out as the probe went on.
A news report from the VCDA says that Martinez was arrested at the scene without any problems and that many electronic items were seized, such as cell phones, hard drives, laptops, and a desktop computer.
They charged the 28-year-old with seven felonies for selling CSAM, one felony for having CSAM with the plan to sell it, and one felony for just having CSAM.
Martinez pleaded not guilty and is due back in court in January. He is currently free after making a $50,000 bond.
In July 2024, the City of Oxnard worked with the district attorney’s office to look into crimes against children that happened on the internet.
Authorities say that Senior Deputy DA Marc Leventhal, who is part of the VCDA’s Special Prosecutions Fraud & Technology Crimes Unit, is in charge of the case.