Ex-SDSU Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Charge

SAN DIEGO, CA — A former San Diego State University police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing child sexual abuse material, prosecutors said.

Paul Aurelio McClain, 46, of Menifee pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. McClain, who previously served as a sergeant with the campus police department, has been in federal custody since March 2025.

According to his plea agreement, investigators conducting an undercover operation in July and August 2024 identified an IP address linked to McClain's Riverside County home that was used to obtain sexually explicit material involving a girl who appeared to be about 6 to 8 years old.

Federal agents executed search warrants at his home in March 2025 and seized multiple digital devices, including a hard drive containing illicit videos of girls who appeared to be about 8 to 10 years old. Authorities said the investigation uncovered more than 600 files of child sexual abuse material.

McClain admitted he knowingly downloaded and possessed the files and that they depicted real children, including prepubescent minors, prosecutors said.

McClain is expected to be sentenced June 24. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.