November 7, 2024 – FRESNO, CA – Louie Santiago Seja Jr., 35, of Fresno, was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 14 years and one month in prison for receipt of visual depictions of minors being sexually abused, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The prison sentence is to be followed by 10 years of supervised release during which time Seja’s access to minors, computers, and the internet will be restricted, and he will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, in February and March 2019, Seja used a cellphone to receive more than 600 images of children being sexually abused. Some of the images depicted violence and prepubescent minors.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Central Valley Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, specifically Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa prosecuted the case.

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.

Source: DOJ Release