Concord person gets 20 years for drugging teens to film porn
A Concord person accused of producing child pornography after plying 16- and 17-year-old girls with fentanyl was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison this week, in a case U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey called “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Prosecutors said Javier Ramirez, 29, repeatedly introduced fentanyl and other narcotics to at least three known victims under 18, and supplied it to them at a discounted rate or for free in exchange for sex acts. Each of the girls overdosed on several occasions, officials said, often prompting Ramirez to revive them with Narcan before providing them with more fentanyl.
“That Ramirez introduced minors to fentanyl, a lethal drug, to assist in coercing and exploiting them and then watched those minors overdose repeatedly, only makes matters worse,” Ramsey said in a statement. “Let this sentence serve as a reminder that this office will take all steps available to hold accountable those who prey on and exploit our youth.”
Ramirez, whose lengthy criminal history includes a felony conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, fell under the radar of police again last January, after a 17-year-old student overdosed in the bathroom of her Contra Costa County high school, according to court records.
After a school nurse revived the girl with multiple doses of Narcan, detectives learned that the fentanyl was supplied by a person who went by “Lucky,” whom they later identified as Ramirez.
A search of Ramirez’s social media accounts revealed a photo of a young female that appeared to show the girl performing oral sex. The victim who overdosed confirmed that she was the girl depicted in the image, and that she was performing oral sex on Ramirez.
A subsequent search of Ramirez’s phone revealed multiple photos and videos depicting child porn, and Ramirez later admitted to possessing nearly 100 of these images or videos.
In arguing for a more lenient sentence, Ramirez’s defense attorneys said their client suffered from childhood trauma, inadequately treated mental illness, and a long history of substance abuse. Ramirez, who uses the pronouns they/them, is additionally taking gender-affirming treatment, making them more vulnerable to an attack in prison, defense attorneys said.
Ramirez pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of being in receipt of child pornography.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Contra Costa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Lafayette Police Department and the Contra Costa County Sheriff ’s Office.
In addition to the 20-year sentence, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar also ordered Ramirez to serve 15 years of supervised release, which will begin after Ramirez’s prison term.