Falls Church Man Arrested On Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A Falls Church man is facing federal charges after authorities say they discovered more than 100 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on cellular phones seized from his residence.

Roni Mendez-Escobar was arrested Thursday in a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia with receipt, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material.

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According to an affidavit filed by a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Oct. 23, 2025, at an apartment on Argyle Drive in Falls Church. The search followed tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a social media account linked to an email address associated with Mendez-Escobar.

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During the search, Mendez-Escobar identified himself as the owner of the apartment. Agents seized a Motorola phone and a TCL phone that Mendez-Escobar identified as his own.

Following a secondary search warrant authorized in February, investigators found about 90 prohibited images or videos on the Motorola phone and 27 on the TCL phone. The material included videos of minors being sexually exploited, with several files appearing to have been downloaded in July 2025, according to the affidavit.

Agents also reported finding a lease renewal and a utility bill on the devices that tied the phones to Mendez-Escobar and his Falls Church address.

On Thursday, Magistrate Judge Lindsey R. Vaala granted a detention hearing request made by Mendez-Escobar's court-appointed attorney, according to court documents. Mendez-Escobar was then remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

A detention and preliminary hearing was scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday in Alexandria Courtroom 500, with Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick presiding, court records say.