By Redaccion
[email protected]
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced today that Rodolfo Martinez-Guevara (DOB 07/11/85), was sentenced to 365 days in jail, two years of formal probation, and is required to register as a sex offender for a minimum of ten years.
If Martinez-Guevara violates his felony probation, a suspended two-year state prison sentence will be imposed. He previously pled no contest on October 10, 2024, to one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material and admitted all charged special allegations, including that he possessed over 600 images of child sexual abuse material.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Howard Wise, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Fraud and Technology Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case.
“The Ventura County Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force (VC-CEHTTF) recognizes the devastating effects of sexual exploitation on this generation of child victims and future generations, when the cycle perpetuates itself,” Mr. Wise said. “Tremendous resources went into this case because our children must be protected.”
Martinez-Guevara was a Roman Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles during the time of his crimes. He was a member of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit and served at several churches including Our Lady of Guadalupe in Oxnard.
Martinez-Guevara became the focus of an investigation after dozens of reports were made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In April 2023, the VC-CEHTTF initiated an investigation of their own.
Investigators determined Martinez-Guevara was in direct possession of over 600 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material while living in Oxnard. He was arrested on September 13, 2023. A related case is pending in Los Angeles County. Sentencing will occur on that case in January 2025.
VC-CEHTTF is comprised of investigators and prosecutors with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Simi Valley Police Department, Oxnard Police Department, Ventura Police Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, the FBI, and United States Attorney’s Office.
The task force is committed to identifying, rescuing, and protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse through education, enforcement, and partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies.
