Palmdale Man Indicted for Allegedly Producing Sexually Explicit Material Featuring Teenage Girls

LOS ANGELES – A Palmdale man is scheduled to be arraigned today on a 12-count federal grand jury indictment alleging he coerced two minors into producing and sharing with him sexually explicit content of themselves and enticed one minor to have sex with him. 

Darius Desean Edwards, 21, of Palmdale, is charged with five counts of production of child pornography, five counts of receipt of child pornography, and two counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Edwards, who was employed by Palmdale’s Department of Parks and Recreation until his recent termination, was arrested this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

According to the indictment, from October 2023 until December 2023, Edwards engaged in sexual conversations with a then 16-year-old girl and requested her to produce and share with him child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of herself. Edwards received at least one video from this victim depicting CSAM.

In March 2024, Edwards communicated with a then 15-year-old girl and requested that she produce and share with him CSAM of herself. Edwards received at least one photo and three videos from this victim depicting CSAM.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

If convicted, Edwards would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count of receipt of child pornography, a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for each count of production of child pornography, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum of life in prison for each count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The FBI is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Lyndsi Allsop with the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.