The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office announced today that Jose Santos Villalobos a 34-year-old man of Oxnard, was convicted by a jury on January 8, 2026, for attempting to steal his child with forged legal documents. Villalobos was found guilty of felony attempted child abduction, filing false or forged documents, forgery, and misdemeanor disobeying a domestic relations court order. Following the verdict, the court found true the aggravating factor that the manner in which the crime was carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism.
On September 6, 2024, Villalobos claimed he had been granted temporary custody of his daughter following an emergency court hearing and attempted to take custody using court documents he presented to law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office. The documents were later determined to be forged, and the judge identified on the forms confirmed he never signed or approved them.
Deputy District Attorney Cesar Ponce, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence Unit, prosecuted the case.
“This case involved a calculated effort to deceive law enforcement and our office by fabricating judicial authority,” Mr. Ponce said. “The verdict makes clear that such conduct will not be tolerated, especially when a child’s safety is at stake.”
Villalobos is scheduled to be sentenced on February 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 45 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He remains out of custody pending sentencing and faces a maximum of four years and two months in state prison.