Former Groveland Man Accused Of Murder, Sentenced For Child Pornography
Groveland, CA — A man who lives in Placerville, but resided in Groveland when he was carrying out child pornography crimes, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and seven and a half years of supervised release for sexual exploitation of a minor.
The announcement was made by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. It is a complicated case, as 38-year-old Jordan T. Piper has been in custody since February of 2021 in connection to a separate horrific crime, the death of his 11-year-old son, Roman Lopez. The boy was found dead in a storage bin in Piper and his wife’s home in Placerville.
Piper, and the boy’s stepmother, Lindsay Piper, were charged with second-degree murder and child abuse.
The video and images related to the child pornography charges were of a young girl and were discovered by authorities during the murder investigation undertaken by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with the FBI.
According to court documents provided, in 2019 Piper made 30 illegal recordings of a minor while living in Groveland. He also took screenshots of the recordings that focused on the minor girl’s private parts. A search warrant was conducted and law enforcement officials found 433 nude images of the victim on Piper’s cell phone. The images/video were taken in both Tuolumne and El Dorado counties.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.
Piper pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation charges as part of a plea agreement. Court documents note that he may also later have to pay restitution to the victim.
The earlier referenced separate murder case is still going through the legal process.
