Former California Corrections Sergeant Indicted for Receiving and Distributing Child Pornography

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Ralph Contreras Jr., 39, of Chowchilla, charging him with receipt and distribution of child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents, between September 2024, and January 2025, Contreras received and distributed at least one visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Contreras was a corrections sergeant with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the time of the offenses.

This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Contreras faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and a fine up to a $250,000. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.