Palm Springs man who assaulted girls across region facing over 20 years in prison
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A Palm Springs man who sexually assaulted multiple girls throughout Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, enticing them with illegal drugs and using them to make child pornography, is facing more than 20 years in state prison when he's sentenced in October.
Jesse James Garcia Airada, 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of rape, three counts of contacting a minor for the purpose of perpetrating a felony, and one count each of oral copulation of a minor, providing controlled substances to a child, using a minor to produce child porn and penetration with a foreign object, with a sentence-enhancing allegation of raping a minor.
The plea was negotiated with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, and in exchange for Airada's admissions, prosecutors agreed to drop three dozen related charges against him.
Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 30 at the Larson Justice Center. The stipulated sentence is 22 years in state prison.
Airada is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Chris Gelinas, in May 2025, deputies were alerted to an assault involving an eastern Coachella Valley girl, and during the ensuing investigation, Airada was identified as the assailant.
"It was learned the suspect had contacted multiple underage females and was offering illegal substances in exchange for sex,'' Gelinas said after the defendant's arrest last fall. "Investigators were able to identify multiple underage female victims throughout Riverside County."
Prosecutors said some of the girls were plied with marijuana and cocaine to gain their trust and cooperation.
Assaults occurred from January 2024 to November 2025 in Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, according to the criminal complaint.
Specific locations were not disclosed, and authorities didn't elaborate on how the defendant initiated communication with the minors.
A search warrant was obtained and served on Airada last November at a property in the area of Lawrence Crossley Road and Highway 111, where he was taken into custody without incident.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
