Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury convicted a Colorado man for his role in conspiring with his wife to sexually exploit a minor victim. The jury found Alekzander Quinn Bywater, 32, formerly of Colorado Springs, guilty of conspiracy to produce visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct outside the United States, sexual exploitation of a minor, distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and advertising CSAM. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the verdict with Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, Department of Justice Criminal Division, and Assistant Director Heith Janke, FBI Criminal Division. “This guilty verdict holds this defendant accountable for the horrific abuse of a child and for his role in distributing videos that documented that abuse. Mr. Bywater’s depraved actions cost him his freedom, so now he’ll be separated from society where he can’t harm other children,” Hayes said. “Our office will continue to work tirelessly with our community and law-enforcement partners to ensure that justice is served as we relentlessly pursue and prosecute predators who prey on the most vulnerable members of our community, whether that abuse occurs here or abroad.” “Alekzander Bywater left the United States for Mexico and preyed upon the most vulnerable among us, a young child,” Duva said. “Child exploitative hands-on violations are among the most depraved. This defendant and his wife, Anika, perpetrated this heinous crime together, and even tried to profit off their conduct. This case is core to the Criminal Division’s mission of hunting down child predators and removing them from society.” “The FBI and our partners are working every day to hold criminals accountable for their participation in child sexual exploitation and abuse,” Janke said. “Bywater will now face the consequences for his disturbing and illegal actions, and we are proud to have played our part in making that happen.” According to court documents, and information provided during the trial, while in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, Bywater, and his wife Anika, 29, formerly of Gonzalez, Texas, created two separate videos of them sexually abusing a young child. In January 2024, on two separate occasions, the Bywaters agreed to create two videos, Video-1 and Video-2, that depicted them jointly engaging in sexually abusing the minor victim in Mexico. Law-enforcement officers learned about the conduct when they discovered videos of the abuse circulating on the internet. Alekzander Bywater uploaded Video-1 and Video-2 to Website A, a publicly available website, where he advertised them for sale. Then, on Feb. 6, and 7, 2024, an undercover FBI agent in Maryland purchased and downloaded the videos. Additionally, FBI agents recovered Video-1 and Video-2 from a desktop and laptop that were used to commit the offense. The devices also housed a different video of Alekzander Bywater sexually abusing the minor victim and thousands of CSAM images and videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children other than the minor victim. Alekzander Bywater is facing up to 150 years in federal prison for conspiracy to produce visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct outside the United States and distribution of CSAM. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. In March 2026, U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Anika Bywater to 25 years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to engage in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. She pled guilty to the charges in December 2025. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI Child Exploitation Operational Unit for its work in the investigation, and the FBI’s law enforcement attaché office in Mexico City and Washington Field Office for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Reema Sood and Acting Deputy Chief Kyle P. Reynolds, Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), who prosecuted the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md . # # #
Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/colorado-man-convicted-sexually-abusing-minor-mexico-wife