Reported / Citable
SAN ANTONIO – A California man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, in May 2023, Markus Hudson Jr., 28, of Sacramento, California, coerced an adult woman he met on TikTok to sexually assault a six-year-old child in Uvalde. Hudson threatened the woman, saying he would send nude images of her to her family and friends. The woman complied and sexually assaulted the child during a video call with Hudson, unaware that her act was being recorded by Hudson using a second phone. Following the recorded sexual assault, the woman refused to speak to Hudson again, and he, in-turn, sent images of the assault to one of the woman’s former classmates.
In another instance, Hudson reached out to a 14-year-old on Snapchat in June 2024 and told her he had nude images of her. Hudson threatened to shoot up her house unless she did what he wanted. Hudson made the child victim stand naked for five minutes during a video call. Again, he recorded the call on a separate phone, then threatened to distribute the images if the 14-year-old did not sexually assault another minor. After repeated threats of exposure, the 14-year-old complied. The 14-year-old, two other minors, and an adult engaged in sexual activity which Hudson recorded. Hudson sent the images to the 14-year-old's classmates.
Hudson enticed and recorded the sexual activities of the 14-year-old, three minors, and two adults. He was arrested on Dec. 13, 2024. He was charged in a five-count indictment on Jan. 8, 2025, and pleaded guilty to two counts—one for production of child pornography and one for coercion and enticement of a child—on April 30, 2026.
“Social media platforms have become an incredibly dangerous playground in which child predators victimize our most vulnerable and exploit them with sickening demands, that exponentially increase the victimization,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “These investigations often begin because victims of the sexual abuse and exploitation speak out about the exploitation they have endured. As evidenced by this case and others, predators like this defendant should know that the seeming anonymity of the internet will not protect them from being held accountable for their actions. In cooperation with our law enforcement partners, we will investigate and aggressively prosecute all predators who are intent on ruining the lives of innocent and vulnerable victims.”
“The sentencing of Markus Hudson serves as a powerful deterrent to anyone targeting and exploiting the most vulnerable members of our community,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel Faith. “The defendant in this case pleaded guilty to despicable and heinous acts. Thanks to our law enforcement partners at Uvalde Police Department, Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Sacramento for their help bringing individuals like Hudson to justice and protecting the future of our nation by ensuring our children’s safety.”
The FBI, Uvalde Police Department, and Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sade Bogart prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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, please visit Justice.gov/PSC .
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Western District of Texas — U.S. Department of Justice press release.