Former National Guard Member Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Using the Internet to Commit Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jaziz Jesahias Cea, 24, of Galt, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for transportation, receipt, and possession of visual depictions of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Cea used internet communications platforms and social media to commit the offenses. In particular, on May 13, 2018, Cea uploaded videos showing prepubescent girls being abused by adult males to his YouTube channel.  Cea also separately used his Skype account to receive videos depicting prepubescent minor females being sexually exploited and abused, to share links to such material, and to communicate with others about his interest in sexually exploiting children. On Feb. 20, 2019, Cea also possessed additional videos showing prepubescent girls being sexually abused. In addition to committing the charged offenses, Cea also admitted to using the Welcome to Video website and cryptocurrency to buy more than 20 hours of videos depicting child sexual abuse on the darknet in early 2018.

Between September 2017 and July 2018, Cea was a member of the California National Guard serving on active duty with the United States Army in Qatar. He was discharged from the California National Guard on July 23, 2020, under other than honorable conditions.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, the Houston, Texas, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and the Galt Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rosanne Rust and Christina McCall prosecuted the case.

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 sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.