PASADENA — A 40-year-old Pasadena man was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison in a plea bargain to three counts involving molestations of children under 14, the Pasadena Police Department announced.

Pasadena Police Department Special Victims Unit investigators began investigating leads into allegations of a sexual assault in August 2023, identifying Alvaro Maldonado Deza as a person of interest, police said in a Tuesday statement.

Deza was taken into custody on June 26. During the arrest, investigators discovered electronic devices that revealed thousands of child pornographic images, including videos of him allegedly sexually assaulting numerous minors and evidence of sexual misconduct while remote viewing with minors, police said.

An investigator with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force worked to uncover the extent of the crimes and identify the victims, police said.

“Victims were identified in several different states throughout the country, and detectives believe there are additional victims living abroad,” police said in a statement.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Deza on July 10, with eight counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.

Deza agreed to a plea deal on May 8 and was convicted of three of those counts, police said.

“In addition to being convicted on the previously mentioned charges, the case against Deza is being reviewed by the United States Attorney’s Office,” police said.

Anyone with additional information regarding the case is urged to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org