Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Minor to Produce CSAM

Baltimore, Maryland - A Maryland man pled guilty in federal court to child sex abuse crimes.

Luis Esteban Borunda, 67, of Essex, is charged with sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a minor, and distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Maryland; Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP); Special Agent in Charge Jacob Cameron, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) - Washington Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Hanna Porterfield, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) - Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to his guilty plea, Borunda engaged in sex acts, which he recorded, with a 15-year-old minor. Beginning in at least July 2023 through August 2023, Borunda used Snapchat and text messages to communicate with Minor Victim 1, who he ultimately met during a trip to California. While on the trip, Borunda engaged in sex acts with the victim. Borunda used his cell phone to cause the production of a sexually explicit video of Minor Victim 1.

Additionally, in August 2023, Borunda messaged a law enforcement officer posing as a minor female. Borunda continued communicating with law enforcement until August 30, 2023, when authorities arrested him after he followed through with plans to meet with who he thought was an underage female for sex. Law enforcement also discovered that Borunda owned devices on which he stored CSAM.

Borunda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor.

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, visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, 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 abuseLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.; 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/know2protectLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI, MSP, Army CID, and NCIS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maryam Zhuravitsky who is prosecuting the federal 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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