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A former Modesto youth soccer coach accused of possessing child sexual abuse material pleaded no contest Monday to a felony charge and is expected to serve 90 days in jail, then two years on probation and register as a sex offender for life.
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Efrain Aguayo Jr. entered the plea in Stanislaus County Superior Court to one felony count of possessing matter depicting sexual conduct by a minor.
Judge Valli Israels accepted the plea, found Aguayo guilty based on his no-contest plea and dismissed the remaining counts and allegations at the prosecution’s request.
The agreement stipulates that Aguayo will receive two years of formal probation and serve 90 days in county jail. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 30.
Aguayo, who was out of custody on bond, appeared in court wearing a black windbreaker and black pants.
Deputy District Attorney Harshan Samra told the court that Modesto police Detective Nancy Lopez received a series of cybertips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in July 2025.
One of those tips involved an online account associated with child sexual abuse material, Samra said while establishing the factual basis for Aguayo’s plea.
Samra described a video depicting sexual conduct involving prepubescent children. The IP address associated with the online activity was traced to Aguayo’s residence in Stanislaus County, he told the court.
The charge to which Aguayo pleaded no contest stemmed from that cybertip.
Israels explained to Aguayo that a no-contest plea would be treated the same as a guilty plea for purposes of the criminal case.
Prosecutors clarify scope of evidence
Prosecutors initially charged Aguayo in January with six felony counts of possessing matter depicting sexual conduct by a minor. The complaint alleged offenses tied to cybertips on dates in February, March and April 2025.
The charging document also included an allegation that Aguayo possessed or controlled more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material, including at least 10 involving a prepubescent child or a child younger than 12.
But Samra clarified after Monday’s hearing that investigators ultimately did not attribute all the material referenced in the original allegation to Aguayo.
“There was a series of tips that came into Modesto Police Department all at once,” Samra told The Bee. “However, I believe two of the tips were associated with Mr. Aguayo. The volume, as initially indicated, was not all attributed to him.”
The remaining charges and allegations were dismissed as part of Monday’s resolution.
Aguayo was arrested at his Modesto home on Sept. 25, 2025, following an investigation by the Modesto Police Department’s high-tech crimes unit.
Police said at the time that investigators had received cybertips through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and seized multiple electronic devices from Aguayo’s residence for forensic examination.
Second Ajax coach convicted in separate case
Aguayo had been identified by police following his arrest as a coach with Ajax United, a Modesto-area youth soccer organization.
His conviction makes him the second Ajax United coach within roughly a year to be convicted in a separate case involving child sexual abuse material.
Matthew Paez, another coach affiliated with Ajax United, was arrested in 2025 in a separate investigation and was later convicted in that case.
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He was sentenced to five years and eight months in state prison as part of his plea agreement on March 25, 2026.
Authorities have not alleged that the cases involving Aguayo and Paez were connected.
Aguayo’s position as a youth soccer coach raised questions after his arrest about whether children associated with Ajax United were involved in the investigation.
Marcus Raposas, executive director of Modesto Youth Soccer Association’s Ajax United, previously told The Bee, “Even when someone passes background checks and appears to fit well within a coaching environment, safeguards and structure still matter.”
Raposas said the organization relies on SafeSport training and emphasizes clear boundaries between coaches and players, including limiting interactions to structured team settings.
“Outside of our soccer environment, we don’t control or have visibility into an individual’s personal life or interactions,” he said. “Situations like this reinforce the importance of staying vigilant.”
Police said in 2025 that they had found no evidence linking children in the soccer program to the alleged crimes.
Samra said Monday that prosecutors still are not aware of such a connection.
“Not to our knowledge,” he said when asked whether any children Aguayo coached or who were affiliated with Ajax United were victims.
Samra also said prosecutors are not aware of any victims in Stanislaus County.
Asked after the hearing about the cases involving two Ajax coaches, Samra credited law enforcement with identifying suspects and bringing the investigations to prosecutors.
“I’d just like to thank our law enforcement partners for identifying the individuals so charges could be filed,” he said.
He noted that Aguayo will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life, saying the requirement will allow the community to know “who they’re dealing with when they come in contact with him.”
Aguayo faces lifetime registration
Israels told Aguayo during Monday’s hearing that the felony carries a maximum possible sentence of three years in state prison.
Under the indicated sentence, Aguayo will be placed on probation rather than initially sent to prison. The judge warned that a violation of probation could expose him to additional custody, including the possibility of state prison.
His probation will include sex-offender conditions restricting him from schools and other places where children congregate, according to the discussion in court.
The court indicated he will receive one day of custody credit toward the 90-day jail sentence.
Aguayo declined to comment to The Bee outside the courtroom after the hearing.
His attorney, Preciliano Martinez, also declined to comment on the plea. Asked about the separate case involving another Ajax United coach, Martinez said he was unfamiliar with it.
This story was originally published September 28, 2026 at 4:56 PM with the headline “Former Modesto youth soccer coach takes plea in child sexual abuse material case.”
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