A Stanislaus County man has admitted to charges related to the transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in illicit sexual acts. Cristian Ceja, a 27-year-old individual from Turlock, entered a guilty plea, an announcement coming down from U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. Court documentation reveals that between August 27, 2023, and January 3, Ceja transported a 15-year-old from California to Idaho with intentions that lay far from innocent.
According to the
U.S. Attorney’s Office
, the engagement with the minor began innocuously, with Ceja making food deliveries to her home. It was from this point of contact that he used the minor’s phone number to subsequently track her down on social media; this was where the two would communicate, and so began a lengthy sexual relationship. Ceja had even gone so far as to enter the young victim’s bedroom covertly in order to engage in sexual relations with her. On two occasions, Ceja video recorded himself with the minor.
The minor’s mother found offensive pictures of her daughter and began to assume an adult was involved. After she reported the incident to the police, Ceja took the kid and ran away in an attempt to avoid being caught and carry on with this illegal connection. According to information provided by the
Justice Department
, he was later to frequently throw away his smartphone, assume false identities, and even repaint his automobile in an attempt to evade detection.
In Idaho, these two found a makeshift home in a bleak camper without heat or running water. Law enforcement eventually arrived at the scene after the young victim managed to contact a family member on social media. On January 3, Ceja was taken into custody, and the child was saved. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office worked with Homeland Security Investigations to conduct the investigation.
As Ceja awaits sentencing, which is set for February 25, 2025, by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez, he faces a potential life sentence and a $250,000 fine. However, the final judgment will be contingent on a variety of factors, including the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory considerations. This case has been highlighted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a governmental initiative kicked off in 2006 to combat the troubling rise in child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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