Former Army Civilian Employee Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Children
A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to sexually abusing two minors under the age of 16 while he was employed by the U.S. Armed Forces outside of the United States.
“The defendant engaged in the repeated sexual abuse of two young children over several years while he was employed as a civilian with the U.S. Army in Japan,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His guilty plea should serve as a warning to anyone who would harm children — even overseas — as long as the Criminal Division has jurisdiction, we will hold you accountable. The abuse and exploitation of children is intolerable, and we will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who engage in such deplorable conduct.”
“As this guilty plea demonstrates, those who exploit and abuse children, whether at home or abroad, will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that such heinous acts, including by military employees, are met with consequences that dispense justice and deter future offenses against the vulnerable.”
“American armed service members should be trusted to keep people safe and uphold values of honor and integrity. The sexual abuse of children is despicable and counter to everything Americans stand for,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners remain vigilant in rooting out those who seek to harm our most vulnerable population, both at home and abroad.”
“We are committed to protecting our overseas military communities from those who exploit and endanger children,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael DeFamio of the Army CID Far East Field Office. “This case is an example of the work our special agents do every day to protect the Soldiers and civilian employees of the Department of the Army and their families.”
According to court documents, Thelmo Meneses Santos Jr., 60, of Merced, California, sexually abused two children multiple times between 2015 and 2023. Santos began sexually abusing one of the minor victims when the child was 11 years old. Santos abused the two minors over a period of years in Japan, where he was employed by the U.S. Army as a civilian employee. During the investigation, Santos gave an interview to law enforcement officers where he admitted to engaging in sexual acts with both children. Santos was later arrested in Hawaii by Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) special agents.
As part of his plea agreement, Santos faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Additionally, Santos will be required to pay restitution to his victims and to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026.
The Far East Field Office of the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated this case with valuable assistance from the FBI.
Trial Attorney Eduardo A. Palomo of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa for the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 www.justice.gov/psc
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Source: Justice.gov
