Leader of L.A.-area after-school programs arrested in child pornography case

Authorities on Monday asked the public for leads regarding the head of a company that organized youth after-school programs after he was arrested last week on suspicion of possessing child pornography.

Miguel Adrian Gonzalez, 28, worked at schools, camps and after-school programs throughout the Los Angeles area, L.A. Police Department officials said in a statement on X.

Arrested Friday by LAPD detectives and agents from Homeland Security Investigations, Gonzalez confessed to molesting boys whom he baby-sat and photographing their genitals, according to a complaint filed in federal court that charged him with possessing child pornography.

It was unclear whether Gonzalez, who is jailed pending an arraignment, was represented by a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Gonzalez, a resident of Las Vegas, is listed in public records as chief executive of Let’s Play LA. In an archived version of its website, which has since been taken down, the company called itself “a community-driven organization dedicated to creating a space where kids can explore, connect and grow through active engagement and play.”

“We believe in the power of playing with children, not just supervising,” the website said.

The company addressed Gonzalez’s arrest in an email to parents, calling it “serious and upsetting.”

“Out of concern for every child and family connected to our programs, all Let’s Play LA LLC activities and events are suspended immediately until further notice,” the email said.

Let’s Play LA did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

According to the complaint made public Tuesday, Gonzalez was fired in 2017 from a position at a Yale University program for gifted youth after he was found to have been taking children on unauthorized off-campus trips and messaging with them.

The investigation that led to Gonzalez’s arrest began in January, when law enforcement in Ireland discovered sexual photographs of an 11-year-old boy on the dark web, a federal agent wrote in the complaint.

Interviewed in Kentucky, the juvenile victim said he was coerced by a Snapchat user who threatened to hurt the boy if he didn’t provide nude photographs and videos. Homeland Security Investigations agents linked the threats to an iCloud account that belonged to Gonzalez, according to the complaint.

Separately, in April Snapchat alerted the LAPD to suspected child pornography being transmitted by an account associated with Gonzalez, the agent wrote.

Gonzalez allegedly sent the image to another Snapchat user, writing, “Do I need to do more than take photos the next time I watch a boy?”

“Yes,” the other Snapchat user replied, according to the complaint.

After his arrest, Gonzalez admitted photographing the child, whom he’d baby-sat, and confessed to molesting another boy, the agent wrote in the complaint. According to the document, authorities found in his phone a file of videos and photographs titled “babysitting boyz.”

A search of Gonzalez’s emails revealed he’d recently applied for jobs in Nevada, the complaint said, including at a preschool soccer program, a Boys & Girls Club and an elementary school.