San Jose man, a longtime public employee, sentenced to prison for possessing child porn

SAN JOSE — A San Jose man who worked for several California cities throughout a lengthy career in the public sector has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for possessing child porn, court records show.

Gregory Borboa, 62, pleaded guilty last April to a count of possessing child pornography and was sentenced Dec. 15 by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, court records show. Prosecutors say that in August 2019 authorities recovered more than 1,600 images and 39 videos containing child pornography and sexual abuse material from Borboa’s home.

The investigation began with a tip about suspicious activity on Borboa’s Kik messenger account, leading to a search warrant that allowed federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations to seize his phone and computer. The files seized including depictions of “horrific exploitation of minors – some as young as infants and toddlers,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.

Assistant public defender Dejan Gantar, who is representing Borboa, wrote in a sentencing memo that Borboa had a commendable record of public service, starting with a stint in the U.S. Army where he was promoted to sergeant, followed by work in risk management for the cities of Stockton and Manhattan Beach, and as a human resources director for Kings County. The news site Silicon Valley Voice has reported that Borboa was the HR director for Santa Clara at the time of his arrest.

“Over the course of his career, Mr. Borboa’s highly specialized skills, expertise, and commitment to public service helped save California taxpayers millions of dollars,” Gantar wrote, adding later that because of his arrest, “Mr. Borboa lost his good standing in his community, his career was abruptly ended, and with it any prospects of comparable future employment. So too, Mr. Borboa’s offense has resulted in considerable stigma that he will bear for the rest of his life.”

Borboa has until March 2023 to report to the Bureau of Prisons to begin his sentence. He has been out of custody since his arrest last year.