Baltimore, Maryland – A federal judge sentenced a Honduran illegal alien, unlawfully residing in the United States, to prison, today, for child sex-abuse crimes.
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Jose Adan Lopez-Guevara, 38, to 65 years in federal prison, followed by 30 years of supervised release, for sexually exploiting children and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In April 2026, a federal jury convicted Lopez-Guevara of 14 counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland; Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP); Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and State’s Attorney Tara H. Jackson, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office (PGCSAO).
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2015 and 2024, Lopez-Guevara sexually abused three minors, ranging from 2 to 11 years old at the time of the abuse. Lopez-Guevara, who lived in Laurel and Baltimore, produced images and videos of himself and the victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct, many of which were found on the dark web.
In December 2024, HSI initiated an investigation after its investigators in Portland, Maine, observed previously unseen child sexual abuse videos on the internet. After identifying Minor Victim 1 in the videos, and determining that he lived in Maryland, investigators quickly referred the matter to HSI Maryland.
HSI then executed several search warrants in Maryland and discovered Lopez-Guevara in possession of two phones. Investigators forensically examined the phones and discovered additional images of Lopez-Guevara sexually abusing Minor Victim 1, along with depictions of Lopez-Guevara exploiting Minor Victim 2 and Minor Victim 3. Additionally, investigators found hundreds of CSAM images and videos on the phone associated with an encrypted messaging application.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse ; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters. Learn more about Know2Protect at www.dhs.gov/know2protect .
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI, MSP, BCPD, PGCSAO, for their work in the investigation, along with the Center for Hope, for its valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Victoria Liu who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md .
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Maryland — U.S. Department of Justice press release.