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Press Release

Queens Man Sentenced to 55 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Children

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York
Defendant Took Photographs and Videos of His Sexual Abuse of More Than a Dozen Children

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Orlando Lopez was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric R. Komitee to 55 years’ imprisonment for nine counts of child exploitation and one count of possession of child pornography.  Lopez was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.  Lopez pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2021.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

“The defendant raped and sexually abused numerous vulnerable children, many of them infants and toddlers, for his own gratification,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Although today’s lengthy sentence cannot undo the harm that he inflicted on the victims and their families, it represents some measure of justice for his horrific crimes and ensures that no more children will suffer at the hands of this predator.” 

Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance with the prosecution.

“The conduct for which Mr. Lopez was convicted is among the most depraved our experienced investigators have ever encountered.  Prior to law enforcement intervention, he raped and sexually exploited children - some of whom were infants when their abuse began - for more than a decade,” said Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.  “Today's sentence insures he will never harm another child, and our hope is that it brings some measure of comfort to his victims and their families as they continue their recovery from the harm he inflicted upon them.”

Beginning in approximately 2008, and for more than a decade, Lopez raped and sexually exploited children who lived at or near his apartment building in Jamaica, Queens, and took video and photographs of the abuse.  Lopez typically abused his victims in his apartment or their residence, but on occasion abused them in other locations, including a local YMCA facility.  During the sexual abuse, Lopez sometimes attempted to distract his child victims by providing them with candy or toys. 

Law enforcement recovered approximately 13,000 files of child pornography from Lopez’s residence depicting sexual activity with at least 15 child victims, some of whom were infants with the abuse began.  Lopez distributed some of the child pornography he created to others. 

This prosecution 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc

Assistant United States Attorney Tanya Hajjar is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

ORLANDO LOPEZ
Age:  66
Jamaica, Queens

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-52 (EK)

Contact

John Marzulli
Danielle Blustein Hass
United States Attorney’s Office
(718) 254-6323

Updated January 3, 2023

Topics
Project Safe Childhood
Violent Crime