A former marriage therapist from Beverly Hills has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly distributing child sexual abuse material, the Department of Justice revealed Thursday. The accused, 49-year-old Ron Gad of the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles, was a licensed therapist whose certification ran out last November now finds himself carrying the weight of a grave accusation—distribution of child pornography.
Gad, currently out on a $250,000 bond, is set to be arranged before a judge come May 3 in the downtown Los Angeles District Court, officials announced. The grand jury indictment states that on December 2, 2021, it is claimed without ambiguity that the former counselor deliberately sent abusive material featuring a minor across states through the web.
It surfaced that during the autumn of last year, Gad caught the attention of law enforcement while purportedly engaged in online conversations of a sexual nature with someone he assumed was a young teenager, when in fact it was an undercover officer lying in digital wait. This led to an entrapment, in San Luis Obispo, where Gad allegedly drove over 180 miles to what he thought would be a clandestine encounter with the child.
Following his arrest the SLO County Sheriff's deputies seized Gad’s digital devices and a subsequent search warrant unearthed evidence pointing to the defendant's distribution of the illegal material, along with exchanges with individuals he believed were minors and web searches indicative of illicit interests, including minors and sexual activities, Gad, however, remains innocent until proven guilty, as is the cornerstone of the American legal system.
The state court in San Luis Obispo initially leveled charges against Gad, but these charges were later dropped enabling federal prosecutors to step in, a tactical maneuver often witnessed in cases with significant gravity. The charges, if proven, could land Gad in federal lockup for a period no less than five years and perhaps as long as two decades.
Investigation of the case is being led by Homeland Security Investigations teamed with local law enforcement, signifying the seriousness of these types of crimes and the aggressive stance authorities are taking against such offenses. Should additional information come to light, it is encouraged to be shared with HSI's tip line at (866) 347-2423.
Assistant United States Attorneys Damaris Diaz and Angela C. Makabali, specializing respectively in violent crimes and cyber crimes, have taken up the responsibility to prosecute the case. Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy provided the details of the indictment and was reached for comment at [email protected], or by phone at (213) 894-4465.
