A 41-year-old Pennsylvania man who federal investigators describe as a prolific child predator has been ordered to spend the rest of his life in federal prison after sexually abusing and exploiting toddlers in two states.
Trevor Metterhauser was sentenced to 80 years in federal prison in a case that stretched from upstate New York to San Antonio. The punishment, announced May 11, 2026, follows a multi-year investigation that pulled in FBI field offices in both states and uncovered explicit images and videos of the assaults that Metterhauser recorded and shared.
Predator Sentenced to 80 Years in Prison for Horrific Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation in Different States. Working together, the #FBI and federal prosecutors @NDNYnews and @USAO_WDTX ensured this predator will spend his life behind bars instead of exploiting children. ⚠️ https://t.co/F9vRmikGEi
— FBI San Antonio (@FBISanAntonio) May 11, 2026
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York, Metterhauser pleaded guilty on November 13, 2025, to attempted aggravated sexual abuse, aggravated sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children, and multiple counts of possession of child pornography. Prosecutors say the aggravated sexual abuse and exploitation charges center on two toddlers, one in upstate New York and one in Texas, and that agents seized electronic devices containing recordings of the abuse when Metterhauser was arrested in early 2023.
In Texas, prosecutors say Metterhauser traveled to San Antonio in December 2022 and met a co-defendant at a hotel where some of the abuse occurred, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. That office also notes that co-defendant Carlos Julián Ruiz was sentenced to 80 years after admitting he provided access to children and recorded assaults. Local reporting described the meetings as taking place in Riverwalk-area hotel rooms, with videos later shared on encrypted apps, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
How the investigation spread across field offices
Federal agents say the case quickly outgrew a single jurisdiction. What began with investigators in New York soon pulled in the San Antonio FBI field office, with both teams coordinating alongside U.S. Attorney's Offices in New York and Texas. The partnership was highlighted publicly when the sentence was announced. According to FBI San Antonio, agents there worked with their counterparts in Albany and with federal prosecutors to ensure Metterhauser would no longer be free to target children.
Sentence and legal consequences
The 80-year term lines up with a plea agreement Metterhauser entered in November 2025 that called for that total sentence if the court accepted the deal at a March 12, 2026, hearing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York. Prosecutors there said the agreement also includes a lifetime term of supervised release, forfeiture of electronic devices used in the crimes, potential fines of up to $250,000, restitution for the victims, and mandatory registration as a sex offender.
Officials have framed the outcome as a direct response to the scope and brutality of the abuse. “The sentence is indicative of the sick and twisted behavior of this prolific predator,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said in a statement shared by FBI San Antonio. Prosecutors also noted that the case was pursued under Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department initiative focused on combating the sexual exploitation of children.
