A federal grand jury returned an indictment on child pornography charges for a man who spent time teaching at Los Banos Jr High School, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez.
On July 17, she announced the indictment against Christian Banuelos, 30, of Los Banos, charging him with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, between July 8, 2022, and Nov. 15, 2023, Banuelos allegedly used a minor to create a visual depiction of the child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Also, between Dec. 9, 2019, and Aug. 22, 2024, Banuelos received and distributed child pornography, court documents state.
Banuelos was arrested last year for suspicion of possessing sexually explicit material involving children. The arrest took place away from the Los Banos Jr. High School campus where he worked.
When asked about Banuelos’s current employment status, Interim Los Banos Unified School District Superintendent Sean Richey responded by email, “Mr. Banuelos is no longer on paid status with the district.”
Richey stated that the district has, and continues to, work closely with law enforcement regarding the case. At this time the school district has not received any reports of its students being victimized, Richey stated.
He listed several procedures Los Banos Unified has to protect its students from child predators. They include Department of Justice background checks, ongoing training to recognize warning signs of abuse, protocols for reporting suspicion of abuse to administration and regular review of safety procedures.
The Banuelos case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter. The case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Los Banos Police Department.
Police Chief Ray Reyna issued a statement on the indictment.
“We are very pleased with the federal grand jury’s indictment of Mr. Banuelos and we hope this case serves as a reminder that we take a zero-tolerance stance against crimes that involve the sexual exploitation of children,” Reyna said. “I’m very proud of our detectives, and I commend their hard work on this complex investigation. These types of cases require a lot of skill and hard work to complete; they are also difficult simply due to the nature of these cases.”
If convicted of sexual exploitation Banuelos faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to a $250,000 fine for each count. Separately, if Banuelos is convicted of receipt and distribution of child pornography, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a $250,000 fine. Baneulos faces a total 50 years in prison If convicted on all charges and given the maximum sentence served consecutively.
