Falls Church Man Sentenced In Federal Child Exploitation Case

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A Falls Church man previously arrested after federal investigators found more than 100 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on his phones has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison.

Roni Mendez-Escobar, 33, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced Wednesday to six years and five months in prison after being convicted of receiving child sexual abuse material and illegally reentering the United States following a prior removal, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The Department of Homeland Security highlighted the sentencing in a statement released Monday. DHS said Mendez-Escobar had previously been removed from the United States three times in 2015 before later returning.

RELATED: Falls Church Man Arrested On Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges

According to federal prosecutors, a forensic review of Mendez-Escobar's electronic devices found 46 images and 65 videos containing child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors said he used WhatsApp to encourage others to view the material, distribute it and communicate by chat and video call with young girls.

Earlier Falls Church Investigation

As Patch previously reported, Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Mendez-Escobar in April after an investigation that began with tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Federal agents had executed a search warrant in October 2025 at an apartment on Argyle Drive in Falls Church.

During that search, agents seized a Motorola phone and a TCL phone that Mendez-Escobar identified as his, according to the affidavit cited in Patch's earlier report. Investigators later found about 90 prohibited images or videos on the Motorola phone and 27 on the TCL phone.

Federal prosecutors said the material recovered in the broader investigation included depictions of prepubescent children and that Mendez-Escobar repeatedly viewed, downloaded and possessed child sexual abuse material from at least October 2024 through August 2025.

DHS said Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer after Mendez-Escobar was detained in Fairfax County in October 2025. According to the agency, he was released Oct. 27 without ICE being notified. Homeland Security Investigations arrested him following a court appearance on April 22.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Mendez-Escobar had been removed from the United States three times following a final removal order issued in August 2015.

Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga imposed the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Clement prosecuted the case.