A 51-year-old Texas man was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting children in the Central Valley after posing as a 12-year-old boy on social media, federal prosecutors announced.

Thomas Henry Lopez of Spring, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff on two counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of distributing child sexual abuse material, and one count of transferring obscene material to a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.

Lopez was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and comply with restrictions on his access to computers, cellphones, and the internet. He must also pay $24,400 in financial assessments.

According to court documents, Lopez contacted minors in the Central Valley through TikTok between June and July 2024 before continuing conversations through text messages and the encrypted messaging application JusTalk.

Investigators said Lopez posed as a 12-year-old boy from Texas and persuaded victims to create and send sexually explicit videos and images. He also sent the minors explicit images of himself and others.

Authorities identified Lopez through internet connections used at his home and workplace, where he was employed as a principal wells engineer for a multinational corporation.

Lopez was arrested Sept. 3, 2024, as he was preparing to leave for a business trip to Singapore. Investigators seized multiple electronic devices during a search of his home.

He pleaded guilty to the charges July 13, 2026, without a plea agreement.

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