More CSA in the USA > HS boys soccer coach charged with CSAM; Fort Hood Sgt-Maj booted and jailed for CSA

 

Federal Investigation Uncovers 43 Suspected Child Sexual Abuse Files On Patuxent High Soccer Coach’s Laptop

LUSBY, Md. — A former Patuxent High School boys varsity soccer coach is being held without bond after Calvert County authorities charged him with eight counts of possession of child pornography.

The charges followed an investigation involving Child Protective Services, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau and the United States Secret Service.

Edwin Augusto Maldonado, 46, of Lusby, was arrested June 12 and charged in Calvert County District Court with eight counts of possession of child pornography.

According to charging documents, the investigation began March 6, 2026, after Calvert County Child Protective Services received a report concerning alleged sexual abuse involving a minor. Court records state investigators subsequently launched a criminal investigation.

Court records show authorities executed a residential search warrant at Maldonado’s Lusby residence on March 13, 2026, after the warrant was signed by Calvert County Circuit Court Judge Carmean. During the search, investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including a Lenovo Yoga laptop that authorities identified as belonging to Maldonado.

According to court records, detectives later obtained a second search warrant for a forensic examination of the seized devices.

Investigators submitted the devices for forensic analysis by the United States Secret Service. According to the statement of probable cause, a forensic examiner allegedly discovered approximately 43 files that investigators identified as child sexual abuse material on Maldonado’s laptop.

Court records allege the files were downloaded and saved to the computer on or about April 20, 2025. Investigators reported the files were allegedly obtained through an online file-sharing service and stored within the laptop’s downloads directory under a user account identified as “Edwin.”

According to charging documents, investigators believe some of the files were later moved from the computer after an external hard drive was connected to the device. The external drive was not recovered during the execution of the search warrant, court records state.

Authorities ultimately filed eight criminal counts against Maldonado, with each count corresponding to files investigators identified during the forensic examination.

Maldonado was arrested June 12, 2026, and initially ordered held without bond. During a bail review hearing June 15, District Court Judge Robyn Riddle ordered that Maldonado continue to be held without bond pending further court proceedings.

A trial is scheduled for July 13, 2026, in Calvert County District Court.

Fort Hood Sergeant Major Sentenced to 25 Years for Child Sexual Abuse

Fort Hood Sgt. Maj. Victor Rivera was convicted by a military jury of raping and abusing two children.

A senior non-commissioned officer stationed at Fort Hood has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a military jury convicted him of raping and sexually abusing two children, concluding one of the most serious criminal cases prosecuted by the Army in recent years.

Sgt. Maj. Victor M. Rivera, 49, a telecommunications operations chief assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Corps Signal Brigade, III Armored Corps, was sentenced June 12 by a military judge following his conviction at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center at Fort Hood, according to the Army.

The sentence represents one of the most significant punishments imposed in a recent Army child sexual abuse case. It includes 25 years of confinement, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, reduction to the rank of E-1, and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. He will serve his confinement at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., according to the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.

The case centered on the sexual abuse of two children over a period of years while Rivera lived in Harker Heights, a community adjacent to Fort Hood.

Members of the Judge Advocate General Corps complete a mock court martial as part of a year-long judicial training exercise in 2018. (Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Katherine Dowd.)

Army prosecutors said Rivera began abusing one victim in 2019 when she was younger than 16. About a year later, he began abusing a second child who was younger than 12. The abuse continued until the victims disclosed what had happened to their mother, who reported the allegations to the Harker Heights Police Department in October 2020.

The investigation ultimately involved local law enforcement, Army Criminal Investigation Division agents, and military prosecutors. Investigators recovered forensic evidence from Rivera's phone showing repeated visits to websites discussing the sexual abuse of minors, according to court records summarized by the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.

Punishment Ends Army Career

Military convictions of this nature carry consequences beyond imprisonment, including the loss of military retirement benefits and veterans benefits associated with honorable service.

The case also highlights the expanding role of the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, a new independent military prosecution office created in response to years of criticism regarding how the armed forces handled serious criminal offenses.

The office, which became fully operational in late 2023, removed prosecutorial authority over many serious crimes from traditional military chains of command and placed those decisions in the hands of independent military prosecutors.

Rivera's prosecution was handled by that office rather than by commanders within his chain of command.

Although Fort Hood has drawn national attention in recent years for a variety of criminal investigations and command climate concerns, Rivera's offenses occurred primarily in a civilian community near the installation and involved child victims rather than fellow service members. The successful prosecution nevertheless underscores the broad jurisdiction of the military justice system over active-duty personnel accused of serious crimes, including offenses committed off post.

Rivera’s sentence does not automatically mark the end of the legal process. Military convictions automatically undergo appellate review through the military justice system. Unless modified on appeal, the former sergeant major faces decades of confinement and a permanent separation from the Army.