The seal of the U.S. Justice Department is seen on the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
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A Merced County man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in federal prison for receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
Joel Damian Ortega, 36, of Merced, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Ortega used a Samsung Galaxy smartphone between Jan. 26, 2024, and July 7, 2024, to receive and distribute at least one visual depiction of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Authorities said he also used an iPhone to receive at least one visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct on April 2, 2024.
Ortega pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter prosecuted the case.
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