Bay Area man charged with illicit contact with 11 boys; undercover cops conducted sting, then searched his phone

MARTINEZ — A 22-year-old Pittsburg man was arrested in late October after allegedly arranging to meet an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old boy, in what seemed at first to be a routine sting by a Contra Costa police task force that investigates online sex crimes.

Then police searched their suspect’s phone.

Now, Indalecio Jr Acosta is facing charges of contacting 11 different boys for a sexual offense, as well as felony counts of distribution of child pornography, possessing child pornography, and committing a lewd act upon a child. All told, he faces 17 felonies, court records show.

It all started Oct. 27, when a Concord police detective began chatting with Acosta on Grindr, a dating app geared towards the gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. The detective posed as a 13-year-old boy, used age-regressed photos of another law enforcement officer, and arranged to meet with Acosta at the Citrus Shopping Center in Walnut Creek for “oral sex,” police alleged in court records.

Acosta was arrested at the preplanned meet up spot. A week later, police searched his phone and found illicit chats with numerous boys ranging from 13 to 17 in age, according to authorities. In some cases, Acosta allegedly traded nude pictures with the boys. On several occasions, he lied about his age, telling them he was 17, police say.

Most of the chats occurred on the social media application Snapchat, under Acosta’s screen name “Hey1Van,” police say.

Ivan was held to answer on all 17 charges after a preliminary hearing last month. He has pleaded not guilty. He is being held without bail in the county jail, and his next court date is set for Jan. 12, records show.