Former San Diego State University Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Possessing Sexually Explicit Videos Featuring Children

LOS ANGELES - A former sergeant with the San Diego State University Police Department pleaded guilty today to possessing more than 600 files that contained sexually explicit videos and images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Paul Aurelio McClain, 46, of Menifee, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since March 2025.

According to his plea agreement, in July and August of 2024, law enforcement conducting an undercover operation on a peer-to-peer network determined that an Internet Protocol (IP) address linked to McClain's home in Riverside County had been used to possess a sexually explicit video of a girl who appeared to be approximately 6 to 8 years of age.

In March 2025, federal agents executed search warrants at McClain's home and seized multiple digital devices, including a hard drive that contained videos of girls who appeared to be approximately 8 to 10 years old.

Law enforcement found other CSAM files during this investigation, totaling more than 600 files.

McClain admitted in his plea agreement that he knowingly possessed CSAM that he downloaded from the internet onto his digital devices, that he knew the files contained depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, that he knew the depictions involved the use of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and that the CSAM depicted real children who were less than 18 years old.

He further admitted to knowingly possessing CSAM that he downloaded from the internet depicted prepubescent minors and minors who had not yet reached the age of 12 years old.

United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled a June 24 sentencing hearing, at which time McClain will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter with assistance from the West Covina Police Department, the San Bernardino Police Department, the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team, and the San Diego State University Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Cory L. Burleson and Sonah Lee of the Riverside Branch Office are prosecuting this case.