Hernan Antonio Maradiaga
Introduction
Hernan Antonio Maradiaga, 36, of Lanham, Maryland, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, two counts of production of child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Chief George Nader, Prince George’s County Police Department. Per the indictment, the alleged conduct spanned 2023 through September 2026 — the span that places this page within this site’s coverage window. Maradiaga has been charged, not convicted, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
Background Information
The indictment, announced October 29, 2026, rests on three categories of charges: travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct; two counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM); and possession of CSAM. The penalty structure the release outlines is steep: a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for the travel count, a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years for each production count, and a maximum of 20 years for each possession count. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties, and a federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted.
The earliest allegation reaches back to 2023. According to the indictment, in 2023, Maradiaga traveled from Maryland to California to engage in a sexual act with Minor Victim 2, who was under 16. That alleged cross-country travel forms the basis of the travel-with-intent charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment refers to the alleged victims only as Minor Victim 1, Minor Victim 2, and Minor Victim 3, and they are not named or further identified here.
Two years later, per the indictment, the alleged conduct turned to production. In 2025, Maradiaga enticed and coerced Minor Victim 1 and Minor Victim 3 to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the sexual acts. These allegations underpin the two production counts, each of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years.
The newest anchor in the span came in September 2026. Authorities found that Maradiaga possessed CSAM that depicted minors, per the release — the September 2026 finding that closes the 2023-through-2026 span alleged against him and the basis for the possession counts, each carrying a maximum of 20 years. The release does not describe the circumstances of that discovery beyond the finding itself.
The procedural posture remains that of an accusation. The release states the governing standard in its own words: “An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.” The charges were announced October 29, 2026, by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes together with FBI Baltimore Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul and Prince George’s County Police Department Chief George Nader, after a federal grand jury indicted Maradiaga, per the announcement issued from Greenbelt, Maryland.
Public Reaction and Consequences
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Duvall, who is prosecuting the federal case. The case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse; led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, it marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The consequences Maradiaga faces remain prospective: the counts against him carry maximums reaching decades in federal prison, but he holds no conviction, and the presumption of innocence governs.
Current Status
Maradiaga awaits prosecution. He has been indicted on travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, two counts of production of CSAM, and possession of CSAM — but not convicted — and the release itself carries the reminder that an indictment is not a finding of guilt and that individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding. The release does not describe an arrest, an arraignment, a plea, or a trial schedule, so the next procedural step in the record is the litigation of the charges themselves. If any conviction ultimately followed, a federal district court judge would determine sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, with sentences typically less than the maximum penalties.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The release provides no employment, family, or personal history for Maradiaga beyond his age, 36, and his Lanham, Maryland residence. What the public record now holds is the indictment itself: alleged travel from Maryland to California in 2023 for a sexual act with a minor under 16, alleged enticement and coercion of two minor victims for production purposes in 2025, and the September 2026 finding that he possessed CSAM. Until the charges are resolved, his status is that of an accused man spanning a three-year allegation window who is presumed innocent; the production counts alone carry a 15-year mandatory minimum each.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland, “Maryland Man Indicted for Cross-Country Sex Abuse Crimes”, October 29, 2026 — source