A priest based in Long Beach, California with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has been charged with possession of child pornography in Ventura County. Rodolfo Martinez-Guevara, aged 38, was arrested in Long Beach on Wednesday. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office alleges that he had over 600 images of child sexual abuse material, including photos and videos of minors under 12 years old.
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko stated, “As a priest, the defendant holds a position of great power, authority, and trust. These alleged crimes deeply violate that trust and involve a disturbing number of sexual images of young boys. These are not just images and videos; they represent the horrific exploitation of our most vulnerable, and the defendant must face the full extent of the law.”
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has not yet given a response to the charges.
Martinez-Guevara was residing at the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit in Long Beach, near St. Maria Goretti Church and St. Maria Goretti Catholic School. Through the Missionaries, he had connections to various other churches, including Our Lady of Guadalupe in Oxnard, according to the Ventura County prosecutors.
The investigation into Martinez-Guevara was initiated after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received multiple reports. Prosecutors discovered that he was believed to possess a large number of photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse, primarily with boys as the victims.
Martinez-Guevara was apprehended by the Ventura County Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Ventura and San Bernardino County sheriff’s departments, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Ventura and Oxnard police departments, the FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
His arraignment is scheduled for Friday in Ventura County Superior Court.
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