FERNDALE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Ferndale man is facing a federal child pornography charge following a Homeland Security investigation.

The US District Court of Western Washington charged and issued a federal arrest warrant for 22-year-old Eduardo Orduna-Botello on March 21. Court documents state that Orduna-Botello used an alias and began messaging a person on Snapchat in April of 2023.

That person contacted the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office after Orduna-Botello offered them $10k to spend 2 hours with their child.

An undercover Homeland Security agent took over the conversation and attempted to arrange decoy meetups with Orduna-Botello, but he didn’t show up to any of them. A federal search warrant for Orduna-Botello in May of 2023 turned up 4 total Snapchat accounts, some featuring his real name and others under aliases.

Investigators also uncovered conversations between Orduna-Botello and several users who identified themselves as minors.

One of those conversations from August 2021 featured Orduna-Botello soliciting and later receiving pornographic material from a child. The child’s mother learned about the conversations and submitted a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Orduna-Botello was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on April 10, and was transferred to federal custody the following day.

His next appearance in federal court is scheduled for Thursday, April 25.