Former UFC competitor Abel
Trujillo was sentenced to two years’ probation in a child
exploitation case in Castle Rock, Colorado, on Wednesday, according
to
9News.
Trujillo was originally arrested in July 2019 and charged with with
attempted sexual exploitation of a child, promotion of obscenity to
a minor and sexual exploitation of a child – self/publish – all of
which are felonies. Trujillo accepted a plea agreement in March and
pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of promoting obscenity.
Had the felony charges remained, Trujillo would have faced up to 18
months in jail.
Castle Rock police were initially notified in October 2018 that the
victim received inappropriate messages via social media from
Trujillo. The girl first made contact with Trujillo in March 2018
and received a follow request from him on Instagram. According to
an affidavit, she accepted the request “because Abel is a
celebrity.”
Shortly thereafter, the girl began receiving direct messages from
Trujillo that included nude pictures and conversations that were
sexual in nature. The victim eventually blocked Trujillo on all
social media accounts and deleted the photos and messages.
When contacted by police, Trujillo admitted “he has had multiple
conversations with females under the age of 18” and to sending nude
photos of himself, per the affidavit.
Currently 36 years old, Trujillo hasn’t competed in mixed martial
arts since a decision loss to John
Makdessi at UFC on Fox 26 on Dec. 16, 2017. He was scheduled to
face former Bellator champ Will Brooks
at a Battlefield FC event in 2019 but was replaced in the bout
shortly after news of his arrest. Trujillo went 6-4 during a UFC
stint that began in 2012.