A man from Sylmar has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for using Instagram to advertise and distribute child sexual abuse material. Alejandro Garcia Aranda, aged 23, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., who also ordered him to pay $45,000 in restitution to 15 victims. During the sentencing, Judge Blumenfeld described the offense as "cruel," "callous," and "monstrous."
Garcia Aranda pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of distribution of child pornography. He has been held in federal custody since July 2024.
In April and May of 2020, Garcia Aranda used an Instagram account with the handle “valleyhoezzz818” to target local high school girls from the San Fernando Valley. His stated aim was “[e]xposing all valley hoes with their @’s.”
He received payments through Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle from customers interested in obtaining sexually explicit content of the victims he advertised on Instagram. Upon receiving payment, Garcia Aranda would send a direct message containing a link to a zip file with the material.
When victims discovered their images were being shared without consent and requested removal, Garcia Aranda attempted to obtain more explicit material by threatening them with further exposure.
Garcia Aranda admitted that he distributed three sexually explicit videos and one image involving children in May 2020. He also acknowledged possessing over 600 images of such material.
The FBI conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kathy Yu prosecuted it.