A 23-year-old Lowell man is headed to federal prison for five years after admitting he stockpiled thousands of files of child sexual abuse material, according to court records. U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris handed down the sentence Wednesday, along with five years of supervised release. Prosecutors say the man will face deportation after serving his time. Investigators say his cellphone alone held more than 5,000 images and videos, and a separate USB drive turned up hundreds more videos depicting child sexual abuse.
Prosecutors' account of the evidence
In a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts said Steven Estrada Ramirez pleaded guilty in November 2025 after a federal grand jury indicted him in May 2024, and he was sentenced on March 11, 2026. Investigators said they identified him as an active participant in several groups on a mobile chat app used to trade and view child sexual abuse material, and noted that his phone’s home screen displayed an image of such material.
Prosecutors told the court that agents seized a USB drive containing more than 700 video files and that the cellphone itself held thousands of additional images and videos. In all, the office said Estrada Ramirez possessed more than 6,000 files of child sexual abuse material.
Sentence and reaction
The five-year prison term and five years of supervised release were reported by local outlets after the sentencing in federal court in Boston. As reported by Boston 25 News, U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said the case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to track down and prosecute people who trade in child sexual abuse material. Court records show Judge Saris imposed the prison term and that Estrada Ramirez remains subject to deportation proceedings.
How the case began
The case first hit the public radar in April 2024, when Hoodline reported on the arrest in an article headlined Lowell Man Charged With Possession. That coverage noted that agents executed a search at the defendant’s home and uncovered a large cache of files. Early charging documents said the seized material included videos and images of children who appeared to be roughly one to eight years old. Prosecutors have said the investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood, a broader initiative targeting online networks that traffic in child sexual abuse material.
Legal context and penalties
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has pointed out that federal law carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison for receipt of child sexual abuse material, with potential penalties of up to 20 years for related counts, along with fines and lengthy supervised release. According to the sentencing release, fines of up to $250,000 are authorized under the statutes cited, and deportation proceedings will follow completion of any prison term. Prosecutors said the case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Major Crimes Unit. U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The judgment effectively closes out the prosecution phase of the case, with federal authorities now responsible for custody and any subsequent immigration steps. Community organizations and law-enforcement partners have pointed to this prosecution as one example of multiagency work aimed at breaking up online networks that exploit children.
