Crime & Safety

Online Child Exploitation: Clayton Man Pleads Guilty

Daniel Paul, 41, was sentenced to 120 days in county jail as part of a plea agreement.

Alcohol and condoms were found in a search of Daniel Paul's car when he arrived at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez to meet an underage girl for sex, county prosecutors said.
Alcohol and condoms were found in a search of Daniel Paul's car when he arrived at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez to meet an underage girl for sex, county prosecutors said. (Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office)

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — A Clayton man pleaded guilty Thursday in a Martinez courtroom to unlawfully communicating with a minor for the purposes of engaging in sex and was sentenced to 120 days in county jail, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said.

As part of his plea agreement, 41-year-old Daniel Paul must also serve probation and is required to register as a sex offender.

Investigators with the county’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force became aware in May 2020 that Paul was the subject of an investigation in a foreign country — Canada— in which he distributed harmful material to a person he believed was underage, the DA's Office said.

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Agents began talking with Paul over text messages and alleged that soon after contacting him, Paul began to attempt to entice what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl into meeting with him for sex.

On May 20, 2020, Paul went to Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez with the intention of engaging in sex acts with a minor. Things did not go as planned; he was taken into custody at the meeting place and later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.

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A search of Paul's car revealed he brought condoms and alcohol to the meeting, the DA's Office said.

WATCH THE ARREST HERE:

The case against Paul was prosecuted by Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorneys Adam Wilks and Chris Sansoe.

The investigation was conducted by the multi-agency Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which thanked the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Homeland Security Investigations Office in Ottawa, Canada for their assistance with the investigation of Paul.

The task force is managed by the San Jose Police Department and is comprised of detectives and investigators from the Walnut Creek, Martinez, San Ramon, Danville, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Brentwood, San Pablo and Moraga Police Departments, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Contra Costa County Probation Department. Senior inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office also participate in the task force.

More Online Child Exploitation Reported During Shelter-In-Place Order

Illegal activity involving minor victims on the internet should immediately be reported to your local police department, the DA's Office said.

Since coronavirus-related shelter-in-place orders went into effect, law enforcement agencies across the United States have noted a significant increase in the number of online child exploitation reports.

"Many of these cases involve adult suspects grooming minors into taking explicit images of themselves," the DA's Office said.

Parents are encouraged to be on heightened alert for this behavior, monitor their child’s online activity, and have candid conversations with their children about the dangers of smartphone use.

Resources for parents can be found at www.kidsmartz.org or on the website for the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at www.svicac.org.


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