Man Used Xbox To Groom, Kidnap 10-Year-Old From NorCal: Prosecutors

SACRAMENTO, CA — A Los Angeles man has been found guilty of kidnapping and molesting a 10-year-old boy from Northern California whom he met while playing video games on Xbox, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say Javier Arizmendi, 57, groomed the child by gifting him items on Xbox before sending them sexual messages.

Arizmendi came up with a plan to take the child back to his home in Los Angeles and have sex with them, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said on Friday.

The 57-year-old then drove to Sacramento to carry out the plan and was on the way back to Los Angeles with the child, according to prosecutors.

But he was forced to drive back to Sacramento after touching the child, who became upset, prosecutors said.

Detectives later learned about the incident, and Arizmendi admitted his intentions to sexually assault the child, according to authorities.

A jury convicted Arizmendi in December 2025 of two counts of lewd act upon a child, kidnapping for child molest, contacting a minor with intent to commit kidnapping, sex assault or other specified offenses and arranging to meet with a minor for lewd purposes, prosecutors said.

He now faces life in prison. He is due back in court on Feb. 20 to learn his fate, prosecutors said.