A former corrections sergeant with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been indicted on federal charges of receiving and distributing child pornography, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Ralph Contreras Jr., 39, of Chowchilla, was charged by a federal grand jury after investigators found that he received and distributed at least one image of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct between September 2024 and January 2025, according to court documents.

At the time of the alleged offenses, Contreras was employed as a corrections sergeant.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter.

If convicted, Contreras faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, along with a fine of up to $250,000.

The indictment is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, prosecutors said.

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