Stanislaus man pleads guilty to transporting minors across state lines, faces life in prison

The Modesto Bee will not publish the names of minors involved in this story. However, the scope of the archive has not changed.

A Turlock man pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this week to one count of transporting a minor for the purpose of engaging in criminal sex acts, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

In September 2023, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office issued a ““Be Careful” message to a 16-year-old girl. The girl left her home with 27-year-old Cristian Ceja in late August. The couple was discovered months later in rural Idaho in a trailer with no running water or heat after the girl said she wanted to come home.

The relationship between the two began when delivery driver Ceja delivered items to the girl’s home and then found her on social media using her phone number.

Using the platform, Ceja began a “long sexual relationship” with the girl, sneaking into her bedroom and having sex with her without her parents knowing.

“On at least two occasions, Ceja videotaped himself having sexual intercourse with the underage victim,” the Department of Justice press release stated. “Ceja kept used condoms and feminine hygiene products in the storage unit as a memento of his relationship with the minor victim.”

The girl’s mother contacted law enforcement on August 24, 2023. She told authorities she found “provocative photos” in her daughter’s bedroom and was concerned she was having an affair with an adult.

The next day, early in the morning, Ceja took the girl and ran away. While escaping, Ceja attempted to evade detection by placing stolen license plates on his vehicle, obliterating the VIN number on the dashboard, and spray-painting his body a different color. Ceja also used an alias, ditched his cell phone, and used an in-flight phone.

Ceja first took the girl to Nevada, where they lived in his vehicle for about a week. He then took her to rural Idaho. There they lived in a camper with no running water or heat for several winter months. During the winter months in Idaho, temperatures drop well below freezing.

Meanwhile, the girl contacted her family and said that she wanted to come home. But he said he couldn’t do it alone.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate him and Ceja in Kamiah, Idaho, by pinging his phone.

On January 3 of this year, Deputies from the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the camperHe rescued the girl and arrested Ceja.

Ceja faces a $250,000 fine as well as a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison. The actual sentence will be determined at the court’s discretion after “considering applicable legal factors” and “federal sentencing guidelines that take into account a number of variables,” the Justice Department’s press release said.