A former Culver City after-school program worker has been indicted on federal child pornography charges after allegedly coercing a 7-year-old girl into producing sexually explicit photographs while in his care, prosecutors announced Thursday, Aug. 21.
Stephen Michael Martinez, 44, of Los Angeles’ Sawtelle neighborhood, worked for the Culver City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department from June 2020 to June 2025 as an employee in the city’s Afterschool Recreation Program, according to court documents.
On July 14, Martinez persuaded the girl, who was enrolled in the program, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photographs, according to the indictment. Police arrested him two days later, and he was transferred to federal custody on July 23. He has remained jailed without bond since then.
An attorney for the firm representing Martinez said he did not have a comment on the indictment.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Wednesday charging Martinez with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison.