Before his arrest this week on federal child pornography charges, a former supervising attorney at a nonprofit that provides legal representation to foster children in juvenile dependency court earned praise as a volunteer photography instructor at Los Angeles County’s oldest children’s charity.
Charles “Chuck” Aghoian, 61, of Camarillo, who worked at the Children’s Law Center of California, was charged Monday, March 11, with three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Aghoian pleaded not guilty, posted bail and was released from custody. Neither he nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment.
According to a federal grand jury indictment, Aghoian knowingly distributed sexually explicit videos featuring children in December 2020 and January 2021. In April 2021, Aghoian also allegedly possessed on his smartphone images of child sexual abuse victims under the age of 12.
At the time of the offenses, Aghoian worked at the CLC, which has offices in Lancaster, Monterey Park and Sacramento and provides legal representation for abused, neglected, or abandoned children in foster care.
Aghoian also previously taught the Fostering Photography program for at least four years for children at Maryvale, a charity with campuses in Rosemead and Duarte that provides a variety of services for underserved children, according to Facebook posts from the CLC and Maryvale that have since been deleted.
Charles “Chuck” Aghoian, 61, was a former attorney at Children’s Law Center in Los Angeles and served as a volunteer during his time at the non-profit, organizing workshops to teach children photography. #LosAngeles #California #nonprofit https://t.co/EPWiUegflo
— MChheda (@MC_IBTimesSG) March 13, 2024
“So proud of CLC Attorney Supervisor Chuck Charles Aghoian — sharing his love of photography with the youth at Maryvale,” the CLC said in an archived version of the 2019 post.
Aghoian, who said in the post he had worked at the Children’s Law Center for many years, explained how he became a volunteer at Maryvale.
“Our office represents foster youth in LA. County. I would go to Maryvale often for a particular resident,” he said. “I eventually got in touch with a staff member and we created a photography workshop, While I have continued off and on to volunteer at two other group homes, Maryvale has always been my preferred location.”
It could not be immediately determined which other group homes Aghoian served as a volunteer.
Aghoian wrote in the Facebook post that he has always worked with nonprofit organizations and children, beginning at age 16 as a summer youth camp counselor in the mountains.
In a separate post that has since been scrubbed from Maryvale’s website, Aghoian said: “There is an unmatched level of satisfaction that comes from seeing a child learn something new, realize they are capable of accomplishing something and understanding themselves more.”
Aghoian’s volunteer work at Maryvale and any other organization was done on his own time and not in partnership with the Children’s Law Center, the CLC said in an email Wednesday, March 13.
In the email, Steve Gunther, the president and chief executive officer of Maryvale, said the charity was shocked by the child pornography allegations against Aghoian.
“For 168 years, Maryvale has been devoted to caring for and protecting children through our mission to heal, educate and empower those we serve,” Gunther said. “We take extensive measures to protect our clients and to screen staff and volunteers. Any volunteers who have worked directly with any of our clients did so under direct supervision by our staff and never alone with clients.”
Maryvale, will continue to do everything it can “to protect those in our care and to provide the highest quality services to give them the opportunity to live fulfilling lives,” Gunther said.
The CLC said it learned in 2021 of the criminal investigation involving Aghoian, and immediately placed him on administrative leave prohibiting him from having contact with clients. He subsequently was separated from employment with the CLC.
“We were relieved to be informed by the FBI that no CLC clients were subjects of any of the materials discovered in the investigation,” the CLC said. “Accordingly, his arrest does not have any impact on the children represented by our firm.”
The CLC said it has been a “leader in fighting for the protection of all children, swift and meaningful interventions for those who have been exploited or are at risk of child sexual abuse and prosecution of adult exploiters.”
“The safety and well-being of our clients is our highest priority and we take all precautions to keep our clients safe,” the CLC said. “All employees undergo a rigorous background check and our client contact protocol does not allow for staff to be alone (one on one) in a private setting with clients.”