Downey man arrested on federal charge alleging coercion of minors into explicit videos
DOWNEY — A 24-year-old Downey man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he coerced and enticed minor girls to produce and send him sexually explicit videos, including footage that featured self-harm and self-humiliation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Bryant Najera Gonzalez is charged with production of child pornography. He was arrested Thursday morning and made his initial appearance later that afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
A federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond. He did not enter a plea. His arraignment is scheduled for March 10.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from at least April through June 2025, Gonzalez used social media platforms, direct messaging and other online communications to coerce, induce and entice minors to create and send him child sexual abuse material.
In communications with other online users, Gonzalez allegedly discussed extorting his minor victims by threatening to send sexually explicit images to their families, according to federal authorities.
“The complaint affidavit outlines disturbing behavior that is every parent’s nightmare,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “To the individuals targeting children with sick acts as part of a twisted ideology, you’ve been warned: Your future is a lengthy federal prison sentence.”
Federal authorities allege Gonzalez is associated with a nihilistic violent extremist ideology known as “764,” which the FBI describes as a network whose members engage in criminal conduct in the United States and abroad in furtherance of political, social or religious goals rooted in hatred of society and a desire to sow chaos and instability.
“Nihilistic violent extremism targeting children is on the rise domestically and internationally,” said Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The arrest of Mr. Gonzalez this morning in our backyard is just the latest example of the growing nature of this perverse activity that encourages children toward sexual compromise and self-mutilation, then further victimizes them with extortion demands.”
The affidavit alleges that at Gonzalez’s urging, an 11-year-old girl produced and sent him at least one sexually explicit video. Investigators allege Gonzalez possessed at least six videos and one image of that victim and shared the material with others online.
In a separate instance, a 15-year-old girl allegedly produced and sent him at least four sexually explicit images of herself and several videos in which she engaged in self-harm and self-humiliation at his direction.
The complaint states that nihilistic violent extremists often target vulnerable individuals, including minors, and use social media to share child sexual abuse material and other graphic content while grooming victims to commit acts of violence or self-harm. Victims may be blackmailed into complying with demands that can include self-mutilation, sexual exploitation, threats of violence or other criminal conduct.
If convicted of production of child pornography, Gonzalez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Downey Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph S. Guzman of the National Security Division and Kelsey A. Stimson of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. Gonzalez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.