ROANOKE, VA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Virginia, Western), published as received.

ROANOKE, Va. – An indictment charging a Danville, Va. man in connection with twelve felony charges related to child exploitation, including the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sexual enticement of minors, cyberstalking, and making threats to injure reputation with intent to extort, was unsealed today following his recent arrest in New Mexico.

In a sealed indictment returned April 9, 2026, a federal grand jury in Roanoke charged Jesus Diaz, 25, of Danville, with two counts of making extortive threats to injure the reputation of a minor, one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of cyberstalking of a minor, four counts of production of child sexual abuse material, and four counts of enticement of a minor.

Diaz was arrested April 16, 2026 in New Mexico. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in the Western District of Virginia on May 15, 2026.

According to the indictment and other court documents, in March 2024, Minor Victim 1 (MV1), then a 17-year-old female living in Idaho, reported to local law enforcement that an individual was extorting her for sexually explicit images and videos. MV1 indicated that several years earlier, when she was 14 years old, she sent nude images via social media to an individual she knew as “Xavier” and that Xavier was now threatening to send those previous pictures and videos to MV1’s family, friends and church members if MV1 didn’t continue communicating with him and send more images.

The Idaho Office of the Attorney General Criminal Division reached out to agents with the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to assist in their investigation after they determined accounts used by “Xavier” to send threatening communications were associated with an IP address in Danville, Virginia.

Agents with HSI determined that the Danville IP address was associated with Diaz. In addition, they determined Diaz would be returning to the United States from an overseas trip via Hartfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Upon his arrival, law enforcement seized several digital devices from Diaz and obtained search warrants for the devices. During the resulting search, investigators found that that Diaz’s phone allegedly contained references to social media accounts used to harass and threaten MV1.

HSI subsequently investigated further. In searches of the devices and digital accounts associated with Diaz, HSI found nude and sexually explicit pictures of MV1 and at least 24 other minor females. Diaz allegedly used social media platforms to meet his victims and to solicit nude pictures and images from them. In some instances, Diaz allegedly threatened to broadcast victims’ previous images if they stopped communicating with him or refused to send more images.

First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement.

The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case. Valuable investigative assistance was provided by the Idaho Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Division, the City of Danville Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Albuquerque office of Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance in the apprehension of Diaz.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Brett is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/ . 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.