Jury convicts Jeffrey Paul Gentile of Templeton for possessing large volumes of child pornography images

Author: District Attorney
Date: 7/26/2022 3:20 PM

A San Luis Obispo County jury found Jeffrey Paul Gentile (35) guilty of possession of child pornography and found true that he possessed at least 600 images with at least 10 of those depicting children under the age of 12.

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District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that a San Luis Obispo County jury convicted Templeton resident Jeffrey Paul Gentile (DOB 09/02/1986) of possession of child pornography after a week-long trial.  The jury also found true that Gentile possessed at least 600 images of child pornography, with at least 10 of those images depicting prepubescent children under the age of 12.

On March 1, 2015, Arroyo Grande Police Department Detective Jim Jolly, while assigned as a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce, received evidence that a particular computer was sharing child pornography with other computers over the internet.  Detective Jolly’s investigation traced the computer’s internet protocol (IP) address to Gentile’s residence in Templeton.

Due to the geographic location of the offending computer, the investigation was turned over to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.  A search warrant for the residence was authorized resulting in the seizure of Gentile’s computer.  A forensic search of that computer revealed more than 40 videos depicting explicit child pornography, the equivalent of more than 2,100 images of child pornography.   

“Child pornography is exploitation that causes immeasurable harm to its victims when the material is created, and again each and every time it is viewed by another person,” said District Attorney Dan Dow.  “Individuals who possess child pornography fuel the demand for this despicable product and perpetuate the exploitation of children.  Many child molesters possess child pornography, and they often use it to desensitize their targeted victims.  Our office is committed to the aggressive prosecution of these individuals and to hold them accountable.” 

To illustrate the extreme harm caused by the proliferation of child pornography, the following is an excerpt from an article published by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention:

"Today’s Internet is also rapidly becoming the marketplace for offenders seeking to acquire material for their child pornography collections.  More insidious than the exchange of sexually explicit material among adults, child pornography often depicts the sexual assault of a child and is often used by child molesters to recruit, seduce, and control their victims.  Although not all molesters collect pornography and not all child pornography collectors molest children, significant consensus exists among law enforcement officers about the role pornography plays in recruiting and controlling new victims.

Pornography is used to break down inhibitions and validate sex between children and adults as normal, and it enables the offender to have power over the victim throughout the molestation.  When the offender loses interest, pictures of the victim are often used as blackmail to ensure the child’s silence, and when these pictures are posted on the Internet, they become an enduring and irretrievable record of the victimization and a relentless, shame-inducing violation of that child’s privacy.” https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/191213.pdf 

Gentile is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2022, in Department 1 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, the Honorable Jacquelyn Duffy presiding.  Gentile faces a maximum term of five years in state prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

The case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and the Arroyo Grande Police Department with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Office Central Coast Cyber Forensic Laboratory.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Danielle Baker who is assigned to the District Attorney’s Sexual Violence and Child Abuse Unit.

Click here to view a copy of the charging document.  Click here to view a copy of the defendant’s booking photo. 

Please contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805.781.5819 with any questions. 

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