RIVERSIDE, California – A former middle school mathematics teacher in San Bernardino was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for distributing on social media an image of a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Josue Gamaliel Vidal Quintanilla, 31, of Fontana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal, who also ordered Vidal to pay $9,000 in restitution.
Vidal, who formerly taught mathematics at Shandin Hills Middle School in San Bernardino, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of distribution of child pornography.
Vidal has been in federal custody since his arrest in this case in September 2020. He will be placed on supervised release for 20 years upon his release from prison.
In September 2019 and January 2020, law enforcement received information from the Kik and Snapchat internet messaging applications that one of their users had uploaded material that was suspected to show sexually explicit material involving children. The Internet Protocol (IP) address for the Kik and Snapchat accounts was assigned to Vidal’s residence in Fontana.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Vidal’s home in September 2020. Vidal agreed to speak with law enforcement and admitted to viewing child pornography since early 2019. He also admitted to sending people internet links to sexually explicit material involving children as young as infants.
In total, law enforcement recovered approximately 1,500 images and 724 videos of child pornography from Vidal’s Kik and Snapchat accounts and digital devices.
Vidal pleaded guilty to distributing to another Snapchat user in August 2020 a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Vidal was employed as a middle school teacher during this time, but his employment later was terminated.
“This conduct is abhorrent in and of itself, but it is especially disturbing and unacceptable considering defendant’s role in the community as a teacher,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Fontana Police Department investigated this matter. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department provided assistance with this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Sonah Lee of the Riverside Branch Office prosecuted this case.
