NM Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

10/06/2017

Sex offender arrested on sex abuse, child porn charges

http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/sex-offender-francisco-saucedo-arrested-abuse-child-porn-charges/4623953/

09/21/2017

AG Balderas Announces former Doctor Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography of Infants

Albuquerque, NM - Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that Calvin Boyd was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of one count of sexual exploitation of children by manufacture and one count of sexual exploitation of children by possession. Under the terms of an agreement with the State, Boyd faced up to 5 years of incarceration. Graphic, sexual images of young children, as young as one-year-old, were in Mr. Boyd’s possession at the time of his arrest. At the time of the arrest, he was working at PB&J Family Services, but was previously employed as a medical doctor in New Mexico and Minnesota.

“My office’s number one priority is protecting children from sexual predators, especially those who are placed in positions of trust over our children,” Attorney General Balderas said. “I want to thank our Internet Crimes Against Children special agents and prosecutor, and the detectives from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office for the successful prosecution of this case.”

Boyd is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his natural life. The defendant plead to these charges and was sentenced today by Second Judicial District Judge Benjamin Chavez.

This investigation was in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and Detective Kyle Woods and other members of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Armijo Hughes.

Please see attached for a photo of Boyd.

08/14/2017

CyberTipline - NCMEC

AG Balderas Announces Criminal Sexual Penetration & Child Exploitation Arrest Involving Several Child Victims in Tucumcari

Attorney General is looking for other potential victims in this case

Tucumcari, NM – Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that a 29-year-old man was arrested this morning in Tucumcari by Office of the Attorney General special agents for multiple sex offenses in connection to the criminal sexual penetration and solicitation of several girls ranging from 14-17 years-old. Anthony Groomas was booked into the Quay County Detention Center on a $15,000 cash only bond this morning.

“Protecting New Mexico’s children from sexual predators is our highest priority and I am urging the public to come forward with any information they have about these charges or related offenses,” said Attorney General Balderas. “Whether you live in cities like Albuquerque or Las Cruces, or more rural areas like Quay County, parents must watch for signs of sexual predators soliciting their children and report it to authorities immediately.”

Anthony Groomas was charged with five counts of Criminal Sexual Penetration (second-degree), four counts Sexual Exploitation of Children (Production) (a Third-Degree Felony), seven counts Sexual Exploitation of Children (Manufacturing) (a Second-Degree Felony), one count Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession) (a Fourth-Degree Felony), five counts Contributing to Delinquency of Minor (a Fourth-Degree Felony) and one count Tampering with Evidence (a Third-Degree Felony).

The Office of the New Mexico Attorney General Internet Crimes Against Children Unit special agents are searching for information on these charges or related offenses. If you have any information, please call (505) 717-3542, or you can report anonymously through the National Center for Missing and Exploited children: www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678.

See attached for a copy of the booking photo.

The CyberTipline is the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's reporting mechanism for suspected child sexual exploitation. To make a report visit www.cybertipline.com.

07/24/2017

Sex trafficking sting nets seven arrests

http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/sex-trafficking-sting-nets-seven-arrests/4549520/

Authorities arrested seven men connected to an underage sex trafficking operation this week, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office announced Friday afternoon.

07/10/2017

Los Alamos man gets 8 years in prison for preying on girls

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/los-alamos-man-gets-years-in-prison-for-preying-on/article_02add11b-6334-5dae-ab7a-02d074496fde.html

A Santa Fe judge on Thursday sentenced a 24-year-old Los Alamos man to an eight-year prison term for sexually preying on underage girls with the help of the internet, actions

06/23/2017

AG Balderas Announces Pediatrician Convicted for Possession of Child Pornography has Conviction Upheld

Office of the Attorney General special agents, prosecutors and criminal appeals attorneys worked this case from start to finish

Albuquerque, NM – This morning, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that pediatrician Juan Torres Santos, who was found guilty of one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children in October 2015, lost his appeal to the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Torres Santos was previously a licensed pediatrician in Pennsylvania and in Texas, and was working on his application for a medical license in New Mexico at the time of his arrest. Torres Santos appealed his conviction claiming there was not sufficient evidence he intentionally possessed child pornography and that the district court should not have allowed the Office of the Attorney General to show the jury evidence of the child pornography. The Court of Appeals agreed with the Office of the Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division and upheld Torres Santos’ conviction.

“I applaud the Office of the Attorney General Special Investigations Division, ICAC Unit, who assisted with the investigation, the Special Prosecutions Division who successfully prosecuted, and the Criminal Appeals Division with whom the Court of Appeals agreed by affirming Mr. Santos Torres’ conviction,” said Attorney General Hector Balderas. “This case demonstrates there is no higher priority for my office than the protection of our innocent children in New Mexico.”

Please see attached for a photo of Torres Santos and the Court of Appeals opinion.

06/23/2017

Project Safe Childhood | Department of Justice

ALBUQUERQUE MAN SENTENCED TO 120 YEARS FOR PRODUCING AND
DISTRIBUTING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY DEPICTING TWO TODDLERS

Michael Dameon Blackburn Prosecuted Under Project Safe Childhood

ALBUQUERQUE – Yesterday afternoon, U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson imposed sentence on Michael Dameon Blackburn, 31, of Albuquerque, N.M., for his conviction for producing, distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography depicting two toddlers. Judge Johnson sentenced Blackburn to 120 years of imprisonment to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and ordered Blackburn to register as a sex offender. The Judge also ordered Blackburn to pay $430,800.00 in restitution to the two children who were victims of his criminal conduct.

Blackburn’s sentence was announced Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney, Special Agent in Charge Waldemar Rodriguez of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso, Tex., Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, III, and Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden, Jr.

In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Tierney said, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office has made it a priority to prosecute those who exploit young, vulnerable children. While there are never any winners in these cases, we hope that the knowledge that Blackburn will spend the rest of his life in prison where he can never harm them or any other child will bring a measure of solace to the two young children he so terribly exploited.”

“HSI will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners, as it did in this case, to keep our children safe and our communities strong against these heinous crimes and criminals,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Rodriguez. “This is our message to those who prey on children: we will find you, we will bring you to justice, and we will make you answer for your despicable crimes.”

“The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is committed to collaborating with federal agencies to proactively investigate crimes against children, and that commitment is reaffirmed when, as in this case, we are able to rescue young victims from the sexual predators who exploit them,” said Bernalillo County Sheriff Gonzales. “Let this case serve as a warning to those who prey on children, we are dedicated to identifying you and holding you accountable for your repulsive crimes.”

“We must do the utmost to ensure those who prey on innocent children are punished to the full extent of the law. It is a privilege to work alongside our law enforcement partners and hold these worst of the worst criminals accountable,” said Albuquerque Police Chief Eden.

HSI special agents arrested Blackburn in Dec. 2013, on a criminal complaint charging him with producing and distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in Bernalillo County, N.M., between March 2013 and Dec. 2013. In Jan. 2014, a federal grand jury filed a five-count indictment charging Blackburn was distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, and two counts of producing child pornography. The indictment alleged that Blackburn committed all five offenses in Bernalillo County between Jan. 2013 and Dec. 2013.

The investigation leading to the charges against Blackburn began on Nov. 15, 2013, when HSI in Albuquerque received information from the HSI Cyber Crimes Center about a pornographic image of a young child victim who might be in the Albuquerque area. HSI’s investigative efforts identified a residence in northeast Albuquerque as a possible location for the person who may have distributed the pornographic image of the young child victim.

Court filings indicate that on Dec. 17, 2013, law enforcement officers conducted a welfare check at the residence and made contact with Blackburn and two children – a girl and a boy, both two years of age – who were left in Blackburn’s care while their parents were out of town. The officers learned that Blackburn had been sexually molesting the toddlers from at least March 2013 through Dec. 2013, and taking photographs and making videos of the toddlers while he molested them. They also learned that Blackburn emailed the pornographic images and videos of the toddlers to others. The two young victims were immediately removed from the residence and put into protective custody.

Blackburn entered a guilty plea on March 14, 2016, to all five counts of the indictment. In his plea agreement, Blackburn admitted distributing a video of a female toddler being forced to perform a sexual act on an adult male. He also admitted receiving a video of a male toddler being forced to perform a sexual act with an adult male, and possessing a pornographic image of a female toddler. Blackburn also acknowledged producing pornographic images of a female toddler and a male toddler.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of HSI, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the Albuquerque Police Department, all members of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa A. Ong and Shammara Henderson prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

The Operation also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 82 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.

05/08/2017

Albuquerque man accused of possessing child porn

http://krqe.com/2017/05/05/albuquerque-man-accused-of-possessing-child-porn/

An Albuquerque man is accused of possessing child pornography. Authorities say his home computer and cell phone had disturbing and illegal images of children.

04/28/2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: James Hallinan

April 28, 2017 (505) 660-2216

AG Balderas Announces Brutal Rapist Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison

Victim was left for dead in a parking lot in Valencia County

Albuquerque, NM – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that Joseph Apodaca was sentenced to 36 years in prison for the extremely violent rape of a young woman he left for dead in Valencia County in 2014. The victim almost died and will suffer medical issues for the rest of her life due to the brutal rape. In November, Apodaca was convicted on two counts of criminal sexual penetration in the first degree, and one count of tampering with evidence following a two week trial.

“I am thankful for the courage and perseverance of the young woman who suffered this horrific rape, and I hope she has some semblance of closure and justice now that we are sending Joseph Apodaca to prison for 36 years,” said Attorney General Balderas. “Her life will never be the same, and it is a grave reminder that we must all work together to end sexual assault in New Mexico and punish violent criminals who perpetrate these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”

Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Gilbert prosecuted the matter on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General and Second Judicial District Judge Alisa Hadfield presided over the case.

Please see attached for photo of Joseph Apodaca.

03/22/2017

Man who lived at home daycare facing child porn, sex charges

http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/crime/2017/03/21/man-who-lived-home-daycare-facing-child-porn-sex-charges/99464380/

02/17/2017

February 17, 2017 (505) 660-2216

AG Balderas Announces Arrest of Cimarron Man for Child Pornography

Cimarron, NM – Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, deputies of the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office arrested Simon Garcia this week on charges of Sexual Exploitation of Children for the possession of child pornography.

“Protecting New Mexico children from predators is our top priority, and we achieve that goal through partnerships between rural, urban and statewide law enforcement agencies participating in the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,” said Attorney General Balderas. “I’m thankful that working with the women and men of the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office we were able to take another child predator off the streets.”

The arrest resulted from an early morning search warrant executed on Garcia’s residence. It was the culmination of an investigation by deputies from the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office along with special agents from the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, a specialized unit in the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General.

Sexual Exploitation of Children for the possession of child pornography is a fourth degree felony.

The Office of the Attorney General oversees the New Mexico ICAC Task Force which is a multi-agency network of statewide law enforcement personnel whose mission is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers. The task force has fully equipped computer labs around the state specifically designed to provide forensic analysis to law enforcement agencies working ICAC cases and special criminal investigations serving all of New Mexico’s 33 counties.

See attached for a photo of Simon Garcia who was arrested on February 15, 2017.

12/21/2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: James Hallinan

December 21, 2016 (505) 660-2216

AG: Albuquerque Man Convicted of Child Exploitation Involving Young Girls

Albuquerque, NM – Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that late yesterday afternoon Jeffrey Morrill of Albuquerque was convicted of two counts of child exploitation by distribution and one count of child exploitation by possession. Graphic, sexual images of young girls ranging in age from six to ten were in Mr. Morrill’s possession at the time of his arrest. The defendant waived a jury trial and Second Judicial District Judge Zamora found Morrill guilty on the above mentioned counts.

“We have no higher priority than protecting our innocent children from sexual violence and exploitation,” said Attorney General Balderas. “Predators need to know that if they exploit and victimize children in New Mexico, the Office of the Attorney General Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will pursue and prosecute them.”

This investigation was in conjunction with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Hughes and Assistant Attorney General Tony Long.

Please see attached for a photo of Morrill.