October 2, 2026 – LAS VEGAS, NV – A Las Vegas man was sentenced on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, by United States District Judge Gloria M. Navarro to 281 months in prison to be followed by 35 years of supervised release for sexually abusing and recording the abuse of two children in his care and for maintaining a collection of images and videos of child sexual abuse material on his digital devices.

“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Today’s sentence highlights that those who sexually exploit children, through whatever technological means, will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Protecting children is the FBI's non-negotiable priority,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “Together with our law enforcement partners at every level—federal, state, local, and tribal—we are united in identifying and investigating anyone who seeks to exploit or harm the vulnerable.”

According to court documents, Adam Joseph Cardenas coerced a seven-year-old child and a three-year-old child, both of whom were in his care, to take part in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing sexually explicit images and videos. He distributed images using a mobile messaging application, and he possessed more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material depicting children as young as infants. 

Cardenas pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography. In addition to imprisonment, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Cardenas must register as a sex offender and keep the registration current where he resides and where he is an employee or student.

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Afroza Yeasmin prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: DOJ Release