A 26-year-old Albuquerque man is sitting in federal custody after FBI agents say he used cryptocurrency to pay for access to a dark-web site offering child sexual abuse material. Don Roberto Lopez faces a federal charge of accessing such material with intent to view it, and he will remain jailed pending a detention hearing, according to case details reported by the Albuquerque Journal.
The Justice Department says Lopez allegedly used cryptocurrency to buy access to a site on the dark web offering child sexual abuse material, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico. The agency's statement reads: “Don Roberto Lopez has been charged with accessing with intent to view child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after allegedly using cryptocurrency to purchase access to a dark web website offering CSAM.” If convicted of the current charge, Lopez faces up to 10 years in prison, according to case facts reported by the Albuquerque Journal.
How the Investigation Reached Lopez
The case traces back to September 2026, when a financial company notified the FBI about alleged cryptocurrency purchases by Lopez on a dark website associated with child sexual abuse material, per the criminal complaint as described in the Journal's reporting. That tip set off a federal probe that led agents to obtain a search warrant for Lopez on November 8.
FBI agents executed that warrant the following day, November 9, seizing Lopez's cellphone, according to the complaint. A criminal complaint was filed against him in U.S. District Court, the Journal's case facts show.
Admissions Described in the Complaint
According to the complaint, Lopez told FBI agents he had viewed child sexual abuse material on the dark web roughly 10 to 20 times and estimated he had paid to access such material about three times. The case facts also describe a payment Lopez allegedly made to a dark-web site on August 26, 2026.
Forensic examination and analysis of the seized electronic devices remains pending, and the investigation remains ongoing, the reported case facts state. The evidence reviewed does not establish whether Lopez has entered a plea or how the case will ultimately be resolved.
Context on Federal Sentencing
Federal sentencing outcomes in non-production child pornography cases have historically varied widely. A 2021 report from the United States Sentencing Commission found that a majority — 59.0 percent — of such offenders nationally received a sentence below the federal guideline range, with non-government-sponsored below-range variances accounting for 42.2 percent of sentences imposed. Those figures are historical and do not predict or establish any outcome in Lopez's case.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, federal law criminalizes knowingly possessing, or knowingly accessing with intent to view, material containing an image of child pornography when that material or its production carries the specified connection to interstate or foreign commerce, according to the statute published by the United States Code. Lopez's attorney did not respond to calls for comment, the Journal's reporting states.
