An Orange County couple is facing charges related to possession and distribution of child pornography following a sting operation that ensnared a Lake Forest man initially suspected of attempting to meet a minor for a sexual act, as per reports from CBS News Los Angeles and corroborated by additional media outlets. Thirty-year-old Jonathan Garduno was arrested after a Costa Mesa Police Department Special Investigations detective, posing online as a 15-year-old girl, uncovered his suspected illicit intents; subsequent searches revealed troubling evidence on his devices.
Following Garduno's Sept. 7 meeting in Costa Mesa, which ended in arrest after his intended rendezvous with a posed 15-year-old was an undercover detective, he posted bail that day, however, the investigation continued leading to a severe turn of events as police later found videos and photos of child pornography on his cellphone and evidence that pointed to distribution of this illegal material to others, including his 29-year-old live-in girlfriend, Khyla Kauffeld, according to the OC Register.
Both Garduno and Kauffeld were taken into custody after an additional search of their shared residence by the Costa Mesa police detectives and the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force officers, revealing further child pornography evidence. The depth of their alleged engagement with these atrocities came into sharper focus, raising urgent questions about whether there might be more victims yet unidentified. Both suspects were able to bail out again on Friday.
In light of these unsettling findings, Costa Mesa police have emphasized the need for public assistance to bring any further potential victims to light sharing the belief that there might be other individuals who suffered at the hands of the accused couple and "due to the combination of Garduno trying to meet a 15-year-old girl with intent to commit a sex act and the further evidence of child pornography found by detectives, CMPD is seeking the public's assistance in identifying potential additional victims," FOX LA reported. Any information regarding this case can be directed to Costa Mesa detectives at (714) 754-4937.
