Two are arrested on child porn allegations

OAKLAND >> Two California residents have been indicted on conspiracy charges in connection with what prosecutors describe as an online group they allegedly created to spread and receive child sexual abuse material, court records show.

Pooya Darabi and Abel Garcia-DeLeon were indicted on charges of conspiracy to receive and distribute child porn and child porn distribution. If convicted they face a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, court records show.

Darabi was arrested last week in the Bay Area and has since been released on a $50,000 bond, according to police records. GarciaDeLeon was arrested earlier this month in Louisiana and is facing extradition to federal court in Oakland, according to court records.

The indictment alleges that the two ran a private “child pornography group” on Kik Messenger, a chat application. Additionally, prosecutors say the group was named after “children’s popular culture” and there were rules requiring members to regularly post images and videos of minors being sexually molested.

“The defendants required users who were interested in becoming members of the child pornography group to send them images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct through Kik direct messages in order to gain admission,” the indictment says. “After receiving the images and videos, the defendants would then determine whether to extend an invitation to join the private group to that prospective member.”

Darabi entered a not guilty plea at a Feb. 24 court appearance, court records show. He is next due in court March 22 for a status conference.