U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani | U.S. Department of Justice
A 46-year-old Alvin resident, David Lopez Jr., has been sentenced to federal prison for his involvement in the transportation and possession of child sexual assault material (CSAM). The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani following Lopez's guilty plea on June 27, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown handed down a sentence of 360 months for each of the two transportation counts and 120 months for each of the two possession counts, all to run concurrently, resulting in a total imprisonment term of 360 months. The court considered Lopez's extensive criminal history and his sexual interest in children dating back to 2014.
Judge Brown noted that Lopez committed these offenses while registered as a sex offender due to previous convictions in 2006 for sexual assault and indecency with a child. Victim impact statements were read during the proceedings, highlighting the effect of Lopez's actions on those depicted in the images and videos he collected.
In addition to his prison sentence, Lopez is ordered to pay restitution to his victims and will be subject to supervised release for life after completing his term. This supervision includes strict internet access restrictions.
"This is an individual who has a deep-seated sexual interest in children that cannot be deterred," said Hamdani. "After two decades of sexually exploiting children by his hands-on offenses and trading child pornography, he must be stopped."
Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston, remarked on the sentencing: "With today’s sentencing we have removed a dangerous predator from the community who has shown absolutely no remorse for his heinous actions."
Lopez came under law enforcement scrutiny in 2016 when it was discovered he used social media platforms to distribute CSAM from February 19, 2016, until January 14, 2020. His arrest occurred in February 2020 due to non-compliance with sex offender registration requirements; he admitted then to viewing child pornography.
Authorities found numerous explicit images and videos on Lopez's phone depicting young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. After serving time for failing registration compliance and possessing controlled substances, Lopez resumed trafficking CSAM until his arrest again in October 2022.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations - Galveston with support from local law enforcement agencies including Pearland Police Department and Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo prosecuted this case under Project Safe Childhood (PSC), an initiative launched by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation nationwide.
