A California man pleaded guilty to filming an 11-year-old girl as she changed in her bedroom, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy’s office announced.
Jacob Guerrero, 23, of Woodland, California, pleaded guilty to one count of sexually exploiting a child, Levy’s office said in a statement. Guerrero was previously arrested and charged on April 14, 2022.
U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton scheduled Guerrero’s sentencing for Nov. 13.
“Mr. Guerrero is a predator who targeted young children by tracking their moves,” Levy said in the statement. “Worse, he violated a young girl’s privacy while she was in the safety of her own home, all for his own sexual gratification. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners that Mr. Guerrero’s disturbing behavior was stopped and no other children were victimized.”
Guerrero staked out the home of the 11-year-old girl for two weeks, taking notes of the times when she and her siblings showered, changed and went to bed, Levy’s office said. On March 17, 2021, he climbed over the garbage next to the girls’ home and stood outside her second-floor bedroom window and recorded a video of her wearing no clothes before she changed to go to bed.
He wrote similar notes about “the comings and goings of the children residing in several other Massachusetts homes,” Levy’s office said.
This case arose after Guerrero was investigated for wearing a wig and women’s clothing while recording girls in the bathrooms and changing rooms at the Wrentham Outlets, Levy’s office said. Guerrero used pen cameras affixed to his shoes, officials added.
State charges from the incident were dismissed when Guerrero was federally indicted. After making a plea agreement, Guerrero faces 15 to 20 years in prison, Levy’s office said.
The charge of sexually exploiting a child provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, “a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse,” Levy’s office said.
