Former Maryland deputy secretary of state Luis Esteban Borunda, 67, was arrested in 2023 in an undercover sting operation
Credit: Maryland State Police
NEED TO KNOW
- Luis Esteban Borunda, 67, of Maryland, pleaded guilty in federal court to child sex abuse crimes
- He was charged with sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a minor, and distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office said
- Borunda admitted to engaging in sex acts, which he recorded, with a 15-year-old minor
A former high-ranking Maryland state official has pleaded guilty in federal court to child sex abuse crimes.
On Tuesday, July 7, Luis Esteban Borunda, 67, of Essex, pleaded guilty to charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement of a minor, and distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Borunda served as deputy secretary of state under former Gov. Larry Hogan.
According to his guilty plea, Borunda engaged in sex acts, which he recorded, with a 15-year-old minor, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the statement
From July 2023 through August 2023, Borunda used Snapchat and text messages to communicate with a juvenile described as Minor Victim 1, who he met in person during a trip to California, the U.S. Attorney said.
During the trip, Borunda sexually abused the victim and used his phone to produce a sexually explicit vido of the minor, according to the U.S. Attorney.
On August 22, 2023, Borunda began engaging in an “inappropriate text chat” with who he believed was a 13-year-old girl, Maryland State Police said in a statement on Sept. 1, 2023.
He was actually texting a special agent with the Fort Meade Army Criminal Investigation Office who was posing as the girl, according to Maryland State Police.
Borunda sent a filtered photo of himself to the agent he thought was the 13-year-old girl, and suggested meeting in Anne Arundel County, the U.S. Attorney said.
On August 30, 2023, he was apprehended after he followed through with plans to meet the agent he thought was an underage female for sex, according to the U.S. Attorney.
Law enforcement also discovered that Borunda owned devices on which he stored CSAM.
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This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Borunda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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