Federal prosecutors say a 37-year-old Elysian Valley resident has been quietly targeting children for years, and now he is facing charges that could put him behind bars for life.
On Thursday, a federal grand jury in the Central District of California indicted Andrew Patrick Dominguez on charges that he produced and distributed child sexual abuse material and tried to entice minors in incidents that allegedly took place in 2013, 2014 and 2023. If those allegations hold up in court, the case could become one of the more serious child exploitation prosecutions to hit Los Angeles in recent memory.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the indictment charges Dominguez with multiple counts tied to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors say he allegedly tried to entice three minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that it could be recorded, and that investigators from several law enforcement agencies are now working the case.
Local reporting has identified Dominguez as a 37-year-old resident of Los Angeles’ Elysian Valley neighborhood and says he is currently being held in Colorado in a separate state case that includes alleged racketeering, attempted pimping, criminal impersonation, extortion and tampering with a victim or witness. It is not yet clear when he will be brought back to Los Angeles to face the federal indictment, MyNewsLA.com reported.
Federal counts and potential sentence
The indictment lists two counts of production of child pornography, one count of attempted production, two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of committing a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender. If convicted on all charges, Dominguez faces a statutory maximum of life in prison.
"An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," the U.S. Department of Justice noted in announcing the charges.
Investigation and next steps
The FBI's Los Angeles Office Victorville Resident Agency is leading the federal investigation, with help from the FBI Denver Office, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Denver District Attorney’s Office, according to local reporting. Authorities have not yet announced a federal arraignment date in Los Angeles, and the timing of any transfer from Colorado remains uncertain, MyNewsLA.com reported.
Why this case matters
Prosecutors brought the case under Project Safe Childhood, a federal initiative launched in 2006 to coordinate investigations and prosecutions involving online child exploitation. Federal agencies have increasingly leaned on multiagency task forces to investigate and prosecute child sexual abuse material and enticement cases, the FBI says.
As with all federal criminal cases, the indictment is an allegation, and Dominguez is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court. This story will be updated as new court filings and hearing dates become available.
