August 28, 2021 - On Friday, 32-year-old Jesus Tapia accepted the terms of his plea deal in a Fresno County courtroom. He is scheduled to be formally sentenced on November 5, 2021.

In June of 2020, detectives booked Jesus Tapia of Fresno into the Fresno County Jail on the following felony charges: 30 counts of manufacturing child pornography, five counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 and two counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10. His total bail was set at $1,040,000.

Detectives with the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force conducted a search warrant at a home on the 5100 block of E. Olive Ave in Fresno. They contacted and arrested Tapia after discovering he was downloading and viewing more than 100 videos of children (including toddlers) being raped. During the investigation, detectives uncovered videos showing Tapia sexually assaulting a child. Detectives were able to identify this child and ultimately rescue them from further abuse.

The significance of this arrest cannot be understated. The distribution and possession of child pornography cases has unfortunately increased substantially. Most arrests occur with victims not being known due to this violent material being produced all around the world and then shared across the internet. ICAC detectives are well-aware that suspects who view child pornography can easily progress into hands on crimes against children. In this case, that is exactly what Tapia did.

Source: Fresno County Sheriff's Office