Federal agents on Tuesday arrested a 26-year-old Washington, D.C., resident and charged him with producing child sexual abuse material and related offenses, according to newly unsealed court filings. Authorities say the case stems from a multi-office FBI investigation into online exploitation of minors.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, a criminal complaint names Zabdiel Aaron Rothschild, 26, of the District, and charges him with production of child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography and transfer of obscene material to a minor. The announcement, the office said, was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro alongside FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran of the San Antonio Field Office. The office emphasized that the charges are allegations and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
How investigators say the case unfolded
As outlined by the FBI, the probe pulled in agents from the San Antonio Brownsville Resident Agency, the Washington Field Office and the San Francisco Field Office. The multi-field effort tracks with a steady series of federal investigations into online child exploitation and highlights the bureau's cross-jurisdiction coordination on internet-based crimes against minors.
Allegations in the complaint
Court documents cited by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia allege that Rothschild used the gaming and messaging application Discord beginning in January 2025 to communicate with three minor victims and to solicit sexually explicit videos. Prosecutors say he directed a 13-year-old to record herself performing sexual acts and that he made repeated sexual and violent statements. The complaint quotes him telling one victim, "little teens belong to old men like me," and saying, "I have the lifelong fantasy of carving my initials into a girl."
What’s next
The complaint was unsealed Tuesday, and the case will move forward in U.S. District Court. The U.S. Attorney's Office says the matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Kelley as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. For background on the federal effort to combat online exploitation and for resources on reporting suspected abuse, the Department of Justice directs the public to its Project Safe Childhood site.
