Sacramento man pleads guilty to child sexual exploitation

SACRAMENTO, California — Dakota Jeremiah Pevino, also known as Dakota Jeremiah Viggiano, 36, of Sacramento, has pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in July 2022, Pevino took a color photograph of a prepubescent minor posing in a sexually suggestive manner without pants or underwear, with Pevino’s private parts visible in the foreground. Pevino later sent this photo to another person via the internet and an encrypted messaging application. In November 2022, Pevino took another color photograph of the same minor posing in a sexually suggestive manner with the minor’s pants and underwear pulled down.

In addition, Pevino sent video recordings of adult men sexually abusing prepubescent minors to another user on the Telegram application. These video recordings were accompanied by chats of a sexual nature about minors.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina McCall is prosecuting the case.

Pevino is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on January 7, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to a maximum of 30 years, lifetime supervised release, restitution and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined at the court’s discretion after considering applicable statutory factors and the federal sentencing guidelines.

The FBI is attempting to identify potential victims of Pevino. If you believe you or your minor dependent(s) have been a victim of Pevino or if you have information relevant to this investigation, please email your name, contact information, and the best time to reach you to [email protected].

This case was brought as part of Project Safe