Illegal Alien Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offense and Illegal Reentry

BOSTON - A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Dorchester, Mass. has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for unlawfully reentering the United States and for possessing child sexual abuse material. A second individual was also charged and deported from the United States.

Miguel Gomez-Lopez, a/k/a Miguel Hernandez, 32, was sentenced on April 9, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to 13 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of the imposed sentence. In December 2025, the Gomez-Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien and two counts of possession of child pornography. The defendant was arrested and charged in June 2023 and has remained in custody since.

In June 2023, local law enforcement in Boston conducted a well-being check on a minor 14-year-old female who was believed to be in danger at Gomez-Lopez's Dorchester apartment. When officers arrived, they discovered not one, but two, missing 14-year-old females at Gomez-Lopez's apartment. One of the minors (MV-2) was exiting the apartment with Gomez-Lopez as police were arriving. The other minor (MV-1) was eventually located in a bedroom in Mr. Gomez-Lopez's apartment. She appeared intoxicated and naked from the waist down. A search of Gomez-Lopez's phone revealed nude photographs and videos of MV-2. A second individual was charged with crimes against MV-1 and has since been deported.

Following his arrest, it was determined that Gomez-Lopez was a citizen of Guatemala unlawfully present in the United States. Gomez-Lopez was first ordered removed from the United States in September 2017. Just six weeks later, in October 2017, Gomez-Lopez was again encountered by U.S. Border Patrol and subsequently deported from the United States a second time.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley, Jessica L. Soto and Mark Grady of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.