Texas man sentenced in federal case for online s3xual exploitation of Central Valley minors
Published 2026-10-16 · County Crime Watch
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal court sentenced Thomas Henry Lopez, 51, of Spring, Texas, on Oct. 13, 2026, for multiple chld s3xual exploitation offenses involving victims in California’s Central Valley, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff gave Lopez a 30-year prison term after Lopez pleaded guilty on July 13, 2026, to two counts of s3xual exploitation of children, one count of distribution of chld s3xual abuse material and one count of transfer of obscene material to a minor.
According to the Department of Justice, between June and July 2024 Lopez used TikTok to contact minors in the Central Valley, continued communications via text and the encrypted app JusTalk while posing as a 12-year-old boy, and persuaded victims to create and send explicit images and videos. Investigators traced internet connections to Lopez’s home and workplace, and seized multiple electronic devices during a residential search after his arrest on Sept. 3, 2024.
The DOJ said Lopez will also serve life supervised release, must register as a s3x offender and faces restrictions on electronic device and internet access, plus $24,400 in assessments. The FBI Sacramento Field Office and the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, principally the Kingsburg Police Department, were credited with the investigation; the case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Fresno as part of Project Safe Childhood.
The Department of Justice and the FBI described the investigation as an effort to identify and prosecute online predators who exploit the anonymity of digital platforms to target children.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice · Agency release: 2026-10-14. Original report by County Crime Watch.