The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on April 23, 2025, Alvaro Andres Valarezo Sandoval, age 35, an Ecuadorian National residing in Miami, Florida, was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 30 years’ imprisonment on two counts of production of child pornography.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Sandoval sexually exploited six Central Pennsylvania minors by deceiving and threatening them into creating and sending him explicit photos and videos between 2013 and 2019.
As part of the scheme, Valarezo Sandoval would often build a rapport with the minor victims by showing affection and then entice and encourage them to send images or videos of themselves that were sexually provocative and/or sexually explicit.
If a minor attempted to cease the relationship, Valarezo Sandoval would extort them by threatening to post their explicit images online unless they complied with his demands to continue providing him with sexually explicit content.
There were at least six victims in central Pennsylvania and at least 30 others worldwide. One victim gave an impassioned statement to the court explaining the devastating impact this crime had on her and her family.
