Eric S. Birnbaum, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Field Office, announces the arrest of Kevin Arce, age 24, on federal child pornography charges. Arce was arrested by FBI agents with assistance from members of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force and deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Arce was arrested on Thursday, October 22, 2015, at approximately 11:00 a.m. in the vicinity of Balboa Avenue and Ruffin Road. Arce was arrested without incident. Arce was arrested pursuant to a federal arrest warrant based upon a federal complaint filed by an FBI agent, charging Arce with one count of possession of child pornography.

This investigation was initiated based upon information received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCMEC provided information to the FBI concerning an individual who had uploaded more than 1,800 images of child pornography.

Additional investigation conducted by the FBI and ICAC task force members resulted in a federal search warrant being served on Arce’s residence in January 2015. The search warrant resulted in approximately 1,850 images of child pornography located on equipment used by Arce. Based upon the FBI investigation, a federal complaint was filed charging Arce with violation of federal child pornography laws.

Following his arrest, Arce was booked into the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), where he will remain, pending is his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Friday, October 23, 2015.

An arrest itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crime(s) charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.