Los Angeles County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Conspiracy with Yuba County Man

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pedro Luis Millan, aka Peter Millan, 37, of Montebello, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in May 2021, Millan conspired with Brent Hooton, 50, of Marysville, to produce an image of a child under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hooton produced the image and then sent it to Millan and other users over the Kik messaging app. Millan received that image, as well as additional pornographic images of the same child victim, from Hooton over the Kik app.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.

Millan is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 7, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Millan faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

On May 30, 2023, Hooton pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.