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SANTA ANA (CNS) - A 31-year-old man who had sex with two high-school girls and videotaped the encounters in Orange County was sentenced Monday to 20 years in federal prison.
Andrew Leonard Arias pleaded guilty Nov. 26 to two counts of distribution of child pornography and a count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge James Selna handed down the punishment recommended by prosecutors.
Arias got acquainted with one of the 14-year-old victims in September 2022 through Snapchat and Instagram when he was twice her age, prosecutors said. He convinced the girl to meet with him in person to have sex at least four times between September and November 2022, and he used his cell phone to take videos at least twice, prosecutors said.
Arias struck up an online relationship in January 2023 with another 14- year-old girl when he was 29, prosecutors said. He had sex with her at least twice and used his smart phone to create videos of their encounters, prosecutors said.
When authorities seized his phone in February 2023 investigators found at least three child pornography videos on it, prosecutors said.
Arias "used the Internet to prey on young girls for his own sexual gratification," prosecutors said in a sentencing brief.
"While defendant appears to have struggled with his mental health and with substance abuse issues, there is no indication that defendant did not understand that his conduct was wrong," prosecutors said. "To his credit, defendant has accepted responsibility for his crimes. But his conduct has done untold harm to at least the two identified victims in his case, whom defendant exploited at an extremely vulnerable stage in their lives."
