Child rapist sentenced for receiving child pornography and assaulting a federal officer

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Honduran national who raped a 13-year-old victim was sentenced today to five years in prison for receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and assaulting a federal officer.

According to court documents, Jhoan Esau Lemus Ramos, 23, illegally entered the United States in 2021. In February 2022, Lemus Ramos contacted a 13-year-old girl through SnapChat. In March 2022, Lemus Ramos met the victim in a parking lot in Herndon. When the victim attempted to resist Lemus Ramos’ sexual advances, he forcibly raped her.

For the next several months through at least August 2022, Lemus Ramos repeatedly asked the victim for nude or semi-nude photographs. She eventually complied and sent the photos via cellphone. When she wanted to stop interacting with him, he used the photos to threaten her and force her to have sex with him. The threats only stopped when the victim contacted Herndon Police for help.

A forensic examination revealed messages between him and the victim as well as CSAM.

On Jan. 4, 2024, Deportation Officers from Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., arrived at Lemus Ramos’ residence in Springfield with a warrant for his arrest. As they attempted to arrest Lemus Ramos, he struck an officer in the face, causing an injury that required stitches and left a lasting scar.

This is the second federal conviction for assaulting, resisting, and impeding an ICE officer in the Eastern District of Virginia this year.  On Jan. 4, Jose Reyes Rubio pled guilty for causing injury to an ICE officer during an arrest in Woodbridge.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Liana Castano, Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sehar Sabir and April Russo prosecuted the case, with assistance from Special Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Cohn.

This case was brought as part of 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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-34.