San Diego Man Pleads Guilty to Spreading HIV

The 30-year-old lied to his partner about his status, prosecutors say.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

March 11 2015 6:51 PM EST

July 23 2019 3:22 AM EST

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A San Diego man has pleaded no contest to willfully spreading HIV and faces six months in jail and a $1,000 fine in what the city attorney's office said was San Diego's first successful prosecution related to HIV transmission, reports TV station KFMB.

Thomas Miguel Guerra knew he had HIV when he began a relationship with another man but lied about his status, according to the city attorney's office. After telling his partner he was HIV-negative, Guerra encouraged his boyfriend to have unprotected sex with him. Months into the relationship, Guerra's partner tested positive for the virus. The partner would later discover that Guerra knew he was HIV-positive at the onset of their relationship. Guerra's partner filed a complaint with the San Diego Police Department in August of 2013.

"I hope this case helps to educate people that it is a crime to willfully expose someone to an infectious disease," city attorney Jan Goldsmith told KFMB. "The law is designed to protect the public and, in this case, the right of one's partner to know the truth."