Man Who Hid Child Sex Abuse Images Inside Crucifix Convicted In MN

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — A 65-year-old man accused of sexually abusing two young sisters he babysat has been convicted in federal court after investigators found child sexual abuse material hidden inside a crucifix on his bedroom wall, prosecutors said.

A federal jury found Alejandro Rojas Garcia guilty of attempted production of child pornography on Oct. 8 following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. Prosecutors say Garcia is a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally.

Garcia faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

"Garcia is a predator. A verdict cannot undo the evil he brought on two innocent girls, but it is justice," U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said in a statement.

According to federal prosecutors, law enforcement began investigating Garcia in early April 2024 after receiving information that he had sexually assaulted two sisters, both of whom were under 13 at the time.

Garcia was a longtime friend of the girls' family, and the family trusted him to watch the children a few days a week, prosecutors said. The girls spent time at his apartment while in his care. Both girls told investigators Garcia had sexually assaulted them, according to prosecutors.

Garcia was arrested on April 5, 2024. Officers searching his apartment seized multiple cellphones, cameras, laptops, flash drives and other data storage devices, prosecutors said.

Investigators also found several hidden cameras throughout the apartment, including five in the bathroom. Prosecutors said the cameras were aimed at the toilet and toward the shower and bath area.

The storage devices contained numerous images of child sexual abuse, including images of one of the sisters and of other unidentified children, according to prosecutors.

During the search, a dog trained to detect electronic storage devices alerted officers to a wooden crucifix hanging on a wall in Garcia's bedroom. Inside the crucifix, tucked behind a bottle of holy water, officers found a micro-SD card containing child sexual abuse material involving one of the sisters, prosecutors said.

Garcia testified in his own defense at trial. He claimed he did not know about the child sexual abuse material on the devices in his apartment, prosecutors said. He acknowledged putting the material involving the girl onto the micro-SD card found in the crucifix, but denied producing it for his own sexual gratification.

Garcia also faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Washington County District Court in connection with the case.

Man Who Hid Child Sex Abuse Images Inside Crucifix Convicted In MN

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Stillwater Police Department, with help from Washington County Child Protective Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana M. Joseph, Echo D. Fatsis and William C. Mattessich are prosecuting.