Illegal Alien Convicted at Trial of Child Pornography Charge

MINNEAPOLIS - United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that yesterday a federal jury found Alejandro Rojas Garcia, 65, a Mexican national in the United States illegally, guilty of attempted production of child pornography.

The guilty verdict was returned after a four-day trial starting on October 5, 2026, before U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim. Sentencing will be set at a later date and Garcia faces a mandatory minimum of 180 months in prison. The defendant is also facing state criminal charges for related conduct.¹

Photo of Alejandro Rojas Garcia

"Garcia is a predator. A verdict cannot undo the evil he brought on two innocent girls, but it is justice," said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

According to federal court documents, evidence presented during trial, and as alleged in public state court documents, in early April 2024, law enforcement began an investigation into Garcia after receiving information that he had sexually assaulted two sisters, including Minor Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2, both of whom were then under the age of 13.

Garcia was a longtime family friend of the victims' family, and the family trusted Garcia to care for the children a few days of the week. When Garcia provided childcare for the minor victims, they spent time at Garcia's apartment. Minor Victim 1 stated that in the spring of 2024, Garcia sexually assaulted her and was violent.

Minor Victim 2 stated that, on multiple instances, Garcia would sexually assault her and that he caused her pain.

On April 5, 2024, Garcia was arrested. Officers conducted a search of Garcia's apartment pursuant to a search warrant. The officers seized multiple cellphones, cameras, laptop computers, flash drives, other data storage devices, and a massage gun. Garcia had several hidden cameras placed throughout his apartment, including five cameras hidden in the bathroom. Cameras were aimed at the genital area of a person sitting on the toilet and towards the shower and bath area.

Electronic Storage Devices Found in Garcia's Apartment

Officers searched the various storage devices Garcia had stashed in his apartment and found numerous child sexual abuse material, including that of Minor Victim 1 and of other unknown child victims. While searching Garcia's apartment, an electronic storage detection dog indicated the presence of evidence in a wooden crucifix hanging on a wall in Garcia's bedroom. Inside the crucifix, behind a bottle of holy water, was a micro-SD card which contained child sexual abuse material involving Minor Victim 1.

Front of Crucifix

Inside Crucifix Depicting Holy Water and Micro-SD Card

At trial, Garcia testified. Under oath, he claimed that he was unaware of the child sexual abuse material on the various devices in his apartment. Regarding the child sexual abuse material involving Minor Victim 1 found on the micro-SD card inside the crucifix, Garcia acknowledged that he put the material on the micro-SD card but denied producing the material with the intent of gratifying his sexual desire.

This case was the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Stillwater Police Department, with assistance from Washington County Child Protective Services.

Assistant United States Attorneys Dana M. Joseph, Echo D. Fatsis, and William C. Mattessich are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

¹ Garcia has been charged by complaint in Washington County District Court File No. 82-CR-24-1329 on two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 1st Degree.