Virginia Man Found Guilty of Repeat CSAM Offenses

A district court judge yesterday convicted a previously convicted sex offender of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while on supervised release.

"This defendant continued to sexually exploit children online while on court-ordered supervision, following an earlier conviction for similar conduct," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Thanks to the tireless efforts and enduring dedication of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, this defendant has been held accountable for his continued exploitation of children and now faces a fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence."

"Following his previous conviction for child sexual abuse material, Antonio Gonzalez knew what he was doing was illegal and knew the consequences," said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. "Instead of embracing a respect for the law and the vulnerable lives it protects, Gonzalez returned to his previous crimes with no regards for those harmed by sexual exploitation. We will tirelessly prosecute anyone engaging in these detestable crimes, and we will continue to pursue anyone who refuses to reform."

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in April 2024, law enforcement began an investigation into a user who was reported to be distributing CSAM on Kik, a mobile-based messaging platform. Further investigation revealed that the user was Antonio Rudy Gonzalez, 41, of Alexandria, who sent dozens of images of children, including toddler-aged children, engaged in sexually explicit conduct to multiple other Kik users. His chat records revealed that he had written to another Kik user "[m]y two favorite things are rape and kids." In 2013, Mr. Gonzalez had previously been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of distribution of child pornography.

Following a bench trial, Gonzalez was convicted on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography for his 2024 conduct. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2026. Due to his prior conviction, Gonzalez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.