Ex-SDSU police sergeant pleads guilty to child-porn charge

A former San Diego State University police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles to possessing child sex abuse material, including some involving children between 6 and 8 years of age.

Paul Aurelio McClain, 46, formerly a sergeant with the campus police department, entered a plea to the federal indictment’s sole count, possession of child pornography.

Some of the videos Paul McClain is accused of downloading show pre-pubescent children involved in sex acts, reports NBC 7’s Allison Ash.

McClain, who at the time of his arrest was a married father of three, is expected to be sentenced June 24, at which time he will face up to 20 years imprisonment, lifetime supervised release, plus fines and restitution, prosecutors said.

Nearly nine months after allegedly first detecting illegal activity on his computer — during which time investigators watched his SDSU police vehicle coming and going — federal agents searched his home in Menifee, in southern Riverside County, where they said they found a computer in his office containing several videos of children engaged in sex acts. According to the criminal complaint, some of the children appeared to be as young as 8 years old.

According to the complaint, McClain’s wife did not share her husband’s computer, which investigators said had a complex password that would be difficult for anyone to guess.

The affidavit states that McClain had been with the campus police department since at least 2023 and that his assignment at SDSU did not include investigating crimes such as child exploitation or child pornography.

A San Diego State University police officer has found himself on the other side of the law after he was charged with a crime against children. NBC 7’s Omari Fleming reports.

McClain was identified by investigators between July and August of 2024 when a U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agent was conducting an undercover operation on a peer-to-peer network. Child pornography files found during the investigation totaled more than 600 images, McClain’s plea agreement states.

A statement issued by SDSU police after McClain’s March 2025 arrest said an unnamed campus officer had been arrested for suspected possession of child pornography and that “upon learning of the allegations, UPD immediately initiated actions to terminate the officer.”

NBC 7’s Allison Ash contributed to this report — Ed.