On October 9, 2026, Emerardo Abisai Vasquez-Lopez, age 20, of Oswego, New York, appeared in federal court in Syracuse, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Mitchell J. Katz on charges related to his alleged sexual exploitation of a child and his transportation and possession of child pornography. Vasquez-Lopez was ordered detained pending further proceedings.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Anthony Patrone, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
The complaint filed against Vasquez-Lopez alleges that between August and October of 2024, Vasquez-Lopez sexually abused a 9-year-old child and created images and videos of that abuse. Following the abuse, Vasquez-Lopez uploaded the material he created to a cloud storage account under his control. Vasquez-Lopez also downloaded child pornography from the same cloud storage account and possessed some of that material on an electronic device belonging to him that was seized at the time of his arrest.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “This defendant’s abuse of a vulnerable child coupled with his creation of images and videos memorializing that abuse is absolutely reprehensible. The swift actions taken by HSI and the New York State Police to find and detain the defendant has ensured that while these charges are pending, he will be behind bars and cannot pray on children and endanger our community.”
“Sexual abuse and the creation and sharing of child sexual abuse material inflict profound and lasting harm on children, their families and the communities that depend on adults to protect them,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Patrone of HSI Buffalo. “These alleged acts betray the trust and safety every child deserves, while the continued circulation of such material extends the victimization and endangers the public. HSI Syracuse works every day with our law enforcement partners to identify those who target and exploit vulnerable children, safeguard victims and hold offenders accountable."
The sexual exploitation charge filed against Vasquez-Lopez carries a term of 15 to 30 years in federal prison. The transportation charge carries a term of five to 20 years in federal prison. The possession charge carries a term of up to 20 years in federal prison. Each count carries a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. If convicted, Vasquez-Lopez will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and may ultimately be deported and removed from the United States based on his lack of lawful status. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
HSI and the New York State Police are investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.