News Releases

Germantown Man Arrested While Attempting to Leave the Country

For Immediate Release: Friday, February 6, 2026

Gaithersburg, MD — A Germantown man wanted in connection with a sexual abuse investigation involving a child was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport as he attempted to leave the country.

On October 18, 2021, detectives with the Montgomery County Department of Police Special Victims Investigations Division, in partnership with Child Welfare Services, began investigating a report made by a child younger than 12 who alleged sexual abuse by a family member. Investigators were advised that the most recent incident occurred approximately one year before the disclosure.

As a result of the investigation, detectives identified the suspect as 43-year-old Nelvis Gonzalez Prudencio of Germantown. On November 22, 2022, SVID detectives applied for and were granted an arrest warrant charging Gonzalez Prudencio with sexual abuse of a minor and third-degree sexual offense. Gonzalez Prudencio agreed to turn himself in to police custody on November 28, 2022, but failed to do so.

On February 1, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Gonzalez Prudencio at Washington Dulles International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to El Salvador.

The arrest warrant for Gonzalez Prudencio was entered into the National Crime Information Center database in 2022 and remained active when he was flagged at Dulles. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers verified the warrant and took him into custody before boarding the plane.

Gonzalez Prudencio is currently being held in Loudoun County where he is awaiting extradition to Maryland.

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Release ID: 26-054
Media Contact: S.D. Goff 
Categories: arrest , child-abuse , sexual-offense