Two Men Sentenced for Producing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Alex Tyler Buenaga, a 33-year-old former firefighter from Suffolk, Virginia, has been sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and coercing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. The sentencing was announced by Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.

S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office.

Ryan Wade Johnston, 46, of Virginia Beach, was also sentenced in connection with the case. Johnston received a 25-year prison sentence for charges including the receipt, possession, and transportation of CSAM.

According to court documents, Buenaga began sexually assaulting a three-month-old infant in October 2024. He filmed the abuse and distributed the resultant CSAM online. Over the course of his criminal activities, Buenaga recorded himself sexually abusing the infant more than 90 times. In a particularly egregious act, he was also recorded blowing methamphetamine smoke in the infant’s face.

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force intervened on January 24, 2025, after receiving an emergency tip about a user on the Telegram instant messaging application producing and distributing CSAM. Agents located Buenaga’s residence and arrested both Buenaga and Johnston before they could inflict further harm on the infant.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Joseph L.

Kosky and was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006. The initiative aims to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet.

The sentences were handed down by U. S. District Judge Jamar K.

Walker. Further details and related court documents can be accessed through the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or via PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-31.