A Bakersfield man charged with child exploitation faces up to 30 years in prison

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A 34-year-old Bakersfield man was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receiving child pornography, officials said.

According to court documents, from April 2024 through August 2024, Rafael Omero Plata Guerrero allegedly created visual images of two minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Using a laptop, he also received child pornography between June 2024 and August 2024, federal prosecutors said.

Bakersfield police arrested Guerrero on August 29, 2024, in southeast Bakersfield. BPD said the arrest occurred following a search warrant at a home in the 1500 block of Lotus Lane, near East Casa Loma Drive.

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If convicted, Gurrero faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of sexual exploitation of a minor.

If convicted of receiving child pornography, Guerrero faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.

However, any sentence would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of all applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account several variables.