Maryland man indicted for cross-country trip to abuse child

Federal prosecutors have charged a 36-year-old Maryland man with traveling to California to sexually abuse a child, a case that has now expanded to include two additional victims and a massive collection of digital files. Hernan Antonio Maradiaga of Lanham faces a maximum combined prison term of 90 years if convicted on all counts.

According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Maradiaga traveled from Maryland to California in 2023 to engage in sexual activity with a victim under the age of 16. The indictment states that investigators later found he continued his alleged involvement with minors. In 2025, he allegedly enticed and coerced two other children into sexually explicit conduct to create images of the acts.

The case grew in September 2026 when authorities discovered child sexual abuse material depicting minors in Maradiaga's possession. The federal grand jury indictment identifies three minor victims in total. Prosecutors confirmed the California victim was younger than 16 but did not release the ages of the other two children or the specific location in California where the initial trip occurred.

Maradiaga faces four specific charges. These include travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, two counts of production of child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession. The travel charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years. Each production count requires a mandatory minimum of 15 years and allows for a maximum of 30 years. The possession charge adds a maximum of 20 years to the potential total.

The indictment was handed down following an investigation that began in 2023. Maradiaga is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The federal government did not provide details on how investigators initially uncovered the suspected abuse in the state.