California v. Jacobo

From 2013 through 2015, defendant Eliberto Jacobo, a middle-aged male, used a Facebook account with the fictional female persona of "Marlissa" to send "friend requests" to seven females under age 18, each of whom accepted Marlissa's request. Using private messages through Facebook, Marlissa encouraged each of the minors to become prostitutes. Four of them eventually agreed and Marlissa arranged for each minor to have a "date" with Jacobo in exchange for money. At those dates, Jacobo took photographs and/or videos of the minors, had vaginal intercourse with them, and performed other sexual acts with them. Following a presentation on human trafficking at high school, two of the minors reported to their teachers their Facebook communications with Marlissa. A subsequent investigation by law enforcement officers showed Jacobo had used the Marlissa persona on Facebook to communicate with the seven minors and encourage them to become prostitutes. His laptop computer contained the photographs and videos he had taken of some of them. Jacobo was arrested and charged with various sex offenses. Jacobo was found guilty on multiple human trafficking and sexual misconduct charges. The trial court sentenced him to an aggregate indeterminate term of 105 years to life in prison and a determinate term of 14 years 4 months. Upon review of Jacobo's arguments on appeal, the Court of Appeal concluded six of his sixty convictions, for sending harmful material depicting a minor engaged in sexual conduct to a minor, had to be reduced to convictions for sending harmful material to a minor. In all other respects, judgment was affirmed. View "California v. Jacobo" on Justia Law