Lowell Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offenses

BOSTON – A Lowell man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Steven Estrada Ramirez, 23, pleaded guilty on Nov. 24, 2025, to receipt and possession of child pornography before U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris who scheduled sentencing for March 10, 2026. Estrada was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024.

Estrada was identified as a participant in multiple groups on a mobile chat application in which the primary purpose of the groups was for users to share and view CSAM. At the time of his arrest, Estrada was found to be in possession of a USB drive containing over 700 video files depicting CSAM, including files depicting children who appeared to be approximately one to eight years old. Additionally, the home screen of Estrada’s cell phone depicted an image of CSAM and the phone contained thousands of images and videos depicting CSAM.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will also be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.