A former supervising attorney at a non-profit with branches in Los Angeles County that provides legal representation to foster children in juvenile dependency court pleaded not guilty on Monday to federal criminal charges alleging he possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material.
Charles "Chuck" Aghoian, 61, of Camarillo, is charged in Los Angeles with three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He voluntarily surrendered early Monday to law enforcement and was later arraigned in federal court where a magistrate judge set his bond at $1 million and scheduled a May 6 trial date.
According to an indictment, Aghoian in December 2020 and January 2021 knowingly distributed sexually explicit videos featuring children. In April 2021, Aghoian also allegedly possessed on his smartphone images of child sexual abuse material, including children under the age of 12 years, court papers show.
At the time of the alleged conduct, Aghoian was a supervising attorney at the Children's Law Center of California, which maintains offices in Monterey Park, Lancaster and Sacramento.
The organization provides legal representation for abused, neglected, or abandoned children who fall under the jurisdiction of the state's juvenile dependency court system. Its attorneys serve Los Angeles, Sacramento and Placer counties. He also served as a volunteer during his time at the Children's Law Center, organizing workshops that taught children photography.
If convicted as charged, Aghoian could face decades behind bars, prosecutors noted.
