A 26-year-old Turkish national, Gokhan Bagci, was arrested in late August for allegedly sexually abusing children at a daycare in California, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Bagci was removed from the United States by Customs and Border Protection twice, first in November 2023 and again in September 2024, before returning to the country a third time, according to a statement from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.
Bagci worked in Mather at the Mather Childcare Center, which primarily served the Turkish immigrant community, where “many employees, children and families have limited English proficiency,” according to the statement. (RELATED: Illegal Alien Teen Admits To Using 7-Eleven Cup Filled With Gasoline In Arson Attack)
The Sheriff’s Child Abuse Bureau, with the California Department of Social Services, opened an investigation after a mother reported that her 6-year-old daughter may have been sexually abused while attending the daycare, the statement said.
Specialized forensic interviews were conducted in Turkish with children who attended the daycare. The interviews revealed information suggesting that current and former attendees may also have been victims, according to the statement.
DAYCARE WORKER ARRESTED FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN MATHER
On July 28, 2025, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a mother who believed her 6-year-old daughter may have been sexually abused while attending the Mather Childcare Center located on 11154… pic.twitter.com/wDJLM5YN3e
— Sacramento Sheriff (@sacsheriff) September 4, 2025
Bagci is charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 by force or fear, and is being held without bail “due to his immigration history and risk of flight,” according to the statement.
California’s Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, addressed the parents of the daycare attendees in a letter explaining the decision to close the child care home due to “an immediate risk to children,” according to an accusation letter obtained by KCRA 3.
Bagci was both an employee and a resident of the child care home and had received fingerprint clearance from the Department of Social Services, according to KCRA 3.
The Department of Social Services has not yet responded to the Daily Caller’s request for comment on how Bagci was able to receive the clearance.
“Child sexual abuse is significantly underreported, and cases within immigrant communities are often even less likely to come forward,” the statement said.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is asking those with more information to come forward, as “detectives believe there may be additional victims.”