A Palmdale man accused of having coerced three minors into producing and sharing with him sexually explicit content of themselves is expected to plead guilty Friday to federal charges.
Darius Desean Edwards, 22, has agreed to enter a plea in Los Angeles federal court to three counts of receipt of child pornography.
Edwards was employed by Palmdale’s Department of Parks and Recreation until his termination in February 2025.
According to his plea agreement, Edwards engaged in separate sexual conversations online with three girls who were then 15, 16 and 17 years of age. During their communications, Edwards “asked, encouraged, convinced, demanded, and pressured” the minors to send him child sexual abuse material they created of themselves, the agreement states.
For example, in March 2024, Edwards allegedly communicated with the then-15-year-old girl and requested that she produce and share with him child sexual abuse material of herself. Edwards allegedly received at least one photo and three videos from the victim depicting the material, according to court papers.
If his plea is accepted, Edwards would face a sentence of between five and 60 years in federal prison, lifetime supervised release, and at least $750,000 in fines, prosecutors noted. He would also be required to register as a sex offender for a possible life term.