After School Program Leader Forced Girl, 7, To Take Sexually Explicit Photos In Culver City: DOJ

CULVER CITY, CA — A federal grand jury on Thursday returned a three-count indictment charging a former Culver City employee who ran recreational programs for kids with producing sexually explicit photographs of a 7-year-old girl enrolled in the after-school program.

Stephen Michael Martinez, 44, of the Sawtelle neighborhood in Los Angeles, is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The indictment comes after Culver City police arrested Martinez last month.

Martinez had worked for the city as a senior recreation leader for five years until he was terminated from his position "due to an unrelated matter prior to the report of this crime" on June 26, according to the Culver City Police Department

In that role, he worked as "a caretaker of young children" at the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program, prosecutors said.

"On July 14, law enforcement learned that Martinez, while working at the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program, coerced a 7-year-old girl in his care into producing photos depicting the girl engaging in sexually explicit conduct," reads a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

He was arrested by Culver City police on July 16 on suspicion of committing lewd and lascivious acts on a minor. He was transferred to federal custody a week later, prosecutors said.

He is being held without bond. His arraignment is set for Aug. 29 in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.

If convicted as charged, Martinez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years behind bars, prosecutors said.