A 37-year-old Panorama City man will remain in federal custody pending his arraignment on nine counts alleging that he delivered alcohol and marijuana products to Santa Clarita Valley minors in exchange for sex.
The federal indictment unsealed in April alleged Saul Henry Alfaro used Instagram to engage with minors for the solicitation of sex in exchange for his services, which were advertised on social media.
He’s now facing decades in prison from a criminal complaint initially filed in March, after the Department of Homeland Security and local authorities reached out to the William S. Hart Union High School District over an investigation of crimes that targeted local students as young as 12.
Alfaro was in court recently, according to federal records, when he was ordered back in front of Judge Andre Birotte Jr., former U.S. Attorney in charge of prosecution for the Central District of California, on Jan. 2.
The federal government has alleged Alfaro’s crimes happened between Jan. 19 and March 7, according to the case summary filed in federal court.
He is charged with one count of producing child pornography, due to images federal investigators said they found on his phone, according to the criminal complaint.
“Any violation of federal child pornography law is a serious crime, and convicted offenders face severe statutory penalties,” according to the Department of Justice website. “For example, a first-time offender convicted of producing child pornography under 18 U.S.C. § 2251, face fines and a statutory minimum of 15 years to 30 years maximum in prison.”
He also is charged with seven counts of coercing a minor to engage in sex, each carrying a penalty of 15 years imprisonment and/or a fine, according to the DOJ website. His ninth allegation, that the pornography was shared using digital devices, carries a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence if convicted.
The incident prompted Hart district officials to organize a talk with parents as outreach and a way to raise awareness.
Alfaro has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The online docket for Alfaro’s case indicates he is being held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles until his court date next year.
