Former volunteer and employee of Minneapolis charter school sentenced to 20 years on child porn charge

A former volunteer and employee of a Minneapolis charter school was sentenced Tuesday to two decades in prison on a child pornography charge.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 28-year-old Josiah Raul Mosqueda was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. He previously pleaded guilty in December.

"The defendant was a school employee with direct access to students. He presented himself as someone the students could trust and rely on," U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald said in a statement. "Instead of being that trusted adult, he exploited that trust, groomed young and vulnerable victims, and preyed upon them for his own sexual gratification. I am grateful the Court recognized this egregious conduct and sentenced him accordingly."

Former volunteer, employee of Minneapolis school, charged with sexually exploiting minors

According to court documents, Mosqueda formerly volunteered and worked at a Minneapolis charter school and volunteered at a different Minneapolis middle school. While doing so, he used social media platforms — including Skype, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, Kik, WhatsApp and Snapchat — to communicate with at least 10 boys.

Mosqueda repeatedly solicited the victims to send him naked pictures of themselves or videos of sexually explicit acts, the attorney’s office said. He also would suggest in-person sexual encounters and offered economic or other favors in exchange for sexual contact.

He also engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the minors and sent them sexually explicit pictures of himself. Additionally, Mosqueda sought out and curated a collection of other pictures and videos containing child porn on his laptops and cellphone, according to the attorney’s office.

In sentencing Mosqueda, the court described him as a serial sexual predator and "a wolf who pretended to be a shepherd in order to gain access to the sheep."

Following his prison term, Mosqueda will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release.