FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Suspects

#1) Gerardo Rosas	#2) Joseph Elder	#3) Ralph Toledo
ARRESTED	IN-CUSTODY	ARRESTED
#4) Cristian Josue Garcia Lopez	#5) Gures Siyar	#6) Nitinkumar Panchal
ARRESTED	IN-CUSTODY	ARRESTED
	#7) Charles Madkins
	IN-CUSTODY

The San José Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC)/Child Exploitation Detail (CED) Task Force have arrested seven suspects for attempting to communicate with a minor with the intent to commit sexual acts. The suspects utilized social media applications believing they were communicating with a juvenile under 14 years of age. Some of the suspects offered money in exchange for sexual favors.

The investigation entailed online communication between April 1 and April 4, 2025, leading the suspects to arrange meeting with a minor and arriving at a location for the purpose of engaging in sexual activities.

ICAC Detectives, with the assistance of the SJPD Human Trafficking Unit and Covert Response Unit, located and apprehended six of the seven suspects at the arranged meeting locations in the city of San José. The last suspect, Charles Madkins, was apprehended at a later date.

Suspect Gerardo Rosas was located and arrested on April 1, 2025. Suspects Joseph Elder, Ralph Toledo, and Cristian Josue Garcia Lopez were located and arrested on April 2, 2025. Suspects Gures Siyar and Nitinkumar Panchal were located and arrested on April 3, 2025. Suspect Charles Madkins was located and arrested on April 7, 2025.

All suspects were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for crimes related to communicating with a minor to commit sex acts.

This investigation was made possible by a multi-agency collaboration that included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Santa Clara Police Department, Mountain View Police Department, Marin County District Attorney’s Office, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

About the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force:
The Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (SVICAC) is led by the San José Police Department, and expands from Monterey to Napa County and involves over 100 Bay Area agencies and over 300 members. SVICAC helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children. In 2024, SVICAC received 13,451 CyberTips related to reports of child sexual assault. SVICAC also completed the review of thousands of CyberTips and conducted over 416 proactive investigations, resulting in over 429 arrests, rescued 68 children from ongoing sexual abuse, identified 88 child survivors with their sexual abuse material online, and conducted over 2,780 digital forensic examinations. At least 15% of the arrests made by SVICAC resulted in rescuing children from ongoing sexual abuse in 2024.

Beyond investigations, SVICAC is also dedicated to outreach, education, and prevention. In 2024, the task force conducted nearly 1,000 community activities, reaching over 16,000 people to raise awareness and provide critical education on online child safety. For more information about SVICAC, please visit: www.svicac.org or www.icactaskforce.org.

Anyone with information about this case or similar cases is asked to contact Detective Camarillo #4576 of the San José Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force via email: 4576@sanjoseca.gov or 408-273-2959.

Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.