A former assistant principal at a San Jose middle school has been indicted on federal charges alleging that he tried to pay a 13-year-old boy for sex and attempted to entice a minor into sexual activity.
Ruben Guzman, 32, appeared in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Wednesday, 23 September, after being charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.
Prosecutors allege that Mr Guzman attempted to arrange a commercial sex act with someone he believed was under 14. He is also accused of trying to engage in sexual activity with a person he believed was under 18.
San Jose assistant principal arrested in undercover operation
The charges stem from an undercover operation carried out by the San Jose Police Department during the build-up to the Super Bowl. Police said Mr Guzman communicated online with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old boy, despite being aware of his alleged age.
According to police, he expressed a desire to engage in sexual acts and offered money in return. He then arranged to collect the child in San Jose, where officers arrested him when he arrived.
The operation ran from 3 to 6 February and led to the arrests of 11 people accused of communicating with the intention of having sex with a minor, according to the San Jose Police Department. Investigators from the department worked with the FBI and other local and federal agencies.
At the time of his arrest, Mr Guzman was employed as an assistant principal at Sunrise Middle School. The school has said the allegations did not involve its campus or pupils.
Teresa Robinson, the school’s director, said the individual had been removed immediately and would have no further contact with students. She said pupils and families had been spoken to and that counselling support had been made available.
Mr Guzman was remanded to the custody of the US Marshals Service following his court appearance. The case has been assigned to US District Judge Edward J Davila.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on each charge. The attempted sex-trafficking count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, while the coercion and enticement charge carries a mandatory minimum of ten years.
The charges are allegations and Mr Guzman is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
