A 29-year-old Minneapolis man and registered predatory offender has been charged after investigators found 762 files of child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County.
Mario Fernando Gonzalez faces charges of possessing child sexual abuse material as a registered predatory offender. He is currently out of custody.
The investigation began in May 2025 after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension received several tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tips indicated that Instagram and Snapchat accounts linked to Gonzalez had been associated with files depicting the sexual abuse of children.
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Investigators determined Gonzalez lived on the 800 block of 4th Street Southeast in Minneapolis. On July 22, 2025, the BCA executed a search warrant at his residence. Gonzalez was home when the warrant was served.
Investigators seized five phones and a laptop from the residence. During an interview, Gonzalez confirmed details about his social media accounts referenced in the tips. He admitted he used Snapchat in October 2024 to communicate about accessing child sexual abuse material and told investigators there would be "a lot" of it on his phone.
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A forensic extraction of his devices turned up 762 files of child sexual abuse material. The complaint describes five of those files in detail, depicting the sexual abuse of boys estimated to be between seven and 17 years old.
Gonzalez was required to register as a predatory offender due to a 2009 conviction on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. His registration requirement ran through January 9, 2026.
