Man charged for downloading child sexual abuse material, allegedly possessed 100k files

MILLCREEK, Utah (ABC4) — A man living in Millcreek has been arrested and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Authorities say they discovered around 100,000 files of CSAM on his computer.

Alejandro Gonzalez-Gardea, 33, has been charged with ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor by the Utah Attorney General’s Office.

According to court documents, on April 21, 2025, an agent with the Utah Attorney General’s Office discovered that an IP address was “requesting blocks of child sexual abuse material” through a peer-to-peer electronic service provider (P2P ESP). The agent allegedly connected this IP address to the download of CSAM on April 11, as well.

The agent sent a search warrant for information on the IP address, and was informed that it belonged to Gonzalez-Gardea, documents say. An address and phone number connected to the IP address were also provided. Through the U.S. Postal Service, the agent confirmed that Gonzalez-Gardea was the only individual receiving mail at that address in Millcreek.

On Sept. 9, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Gonzalez-Gardea’s residence. He was not at home, and the agent called him to inform him of the warrant. Gonzalez-Gardea reportedly stated that he was working out of state and would return home the following day. During the call, Gonzalez-Gardea allegedly admitted he knew what CSAM was, but denied knowing anything about the P2P ESP.

Law enforcement entered the residence and seized electronic devices. During a search of these devices, the investigating agent found approximately 100,000 CSAM files, according to court documents. The agent stated that young children of both genders were depicted in some of these files that he reviewed.

The following day, Sept. 10, Gonzalez-Gardea returned to Utah. Law enforcement arrested him and booked him into the Salt Lake County Jail; a no-bail warrant has been proposed to hold him there.

Court documents say that Gonzalez-Gardea is a flight risk because he does not have any family or friends in Utah and possesses an out-of-state commercial driver’s license. His jail booking record lists him as a Mexican citizen.